Weather forecasters apparently were warning of a "wild windstorm" which was supposed to hit us yesterday - you couldn't call the wind we received more than a "slight breeze" and even that sounds like an exaggeration.
My husband likes to watch the weather channel so that he knows what's in the forecast; seems to me that that all he accomplishes is to be warned about weather which never arrives. Snowstorms which turn out to last for ten minutes and then all evidence vanishes in the hot sun which follows - big storms which don't materialise, serious warnings given by grave-faced weather people who sound so certain, and can be completely wrong time and again, yet people still wait to hear their pronouncements.
Rain has a scent before it arrives, and I can tell when it's going to snow by the appearance of the clouds, they have a smooth, flat look. The birds become active before the wind, and the dogs are restless. Other than that, I tell the weather by gazing out my window.
Human beings want to know what's coming - we kid ourselves that knowing ahead of time helps us to prepare for it, but that's not how it works it real life. When the event actually arrives, and we're in the midst of it, all the advance preparation in the world doesn't ameliorate one moment of the feelings we go through. Life has to be lived in the present moment, and my serenity is undisturbed when I am undisturbed by the happenings of daily life - when I roll with the punches, they don't hurt any less, but I recover my equilibrium much more quickly..
Living life on life's terms is something that takes practice. To not react but to take productive action. I don't succumb to the storms that blow through as I used to.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I can relate as I can get caught up in that "would be nice to know what is coming" and love the comparison to the weather channel!
ReplyDeleteWhen I am able to live in the moment and be aware of my surroundings, I am not only happier but more productive.