As I am writing this, I am sitting in a hotel room on vacation unable to go outside due to the weather. It\u2019s raining, the wind is blowing hard (with gusts over 60 miles per hour), and it\u2019s cold, a few degrees above freezing. Not ideal conditions for outdoor activities. So what are my choices when it\u2019s like this? Well, I\u2019m sitting in a room, warm and dry. There is nothing I can do about the weather, it is what it is. But I can decide my response to the weather. I could be upset that it has disrupted my plans and I won\u2019t be able to do what I wanted to do today, blaming the weather for ruining my day. I could also be indifferent and not care one way or the other. Or I could be grateful that I\u2019m warm and dry and protected from the elements. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s only one right response to this situation, but it is important to recognize that I do have choices, regardless of what is going on outside.<\/p>\n
Watching the wind and the rain also got me thinking about weather as a metaphor for other circumstances. Like many of the challenges we face, we have little control over the weather. What we do have control over is how we respond to it when it happens, and how well we prepare for it before it becomes an issue. When bad weather occurs we can get out of it and seek shelter, just as we can sometimes choose to get out of other difficult situations. We can also be prepared so that we are better able to deal with bad weather in the moment. If we\u2019ve carried an umbrella or brought a warm coat when we go out, we are better prepared for rain or cold weather than if we haven\u2019t. In other circumstances, we can be prepared for different life challenges by paying attention to changing conditions, and responding skillfully. When someone says something to us that we find upsetting,\u00a0if we\u2019re not careful, we might find ourselves ruminating about what has happened, becoming even more upset. But we don\u2019t have to react this way, magnifying our suffering. Instead, we could notice what\u2019s happened and be aware of how we feel, decide on the best response, and move on.\u00a0 When we go out in the rain, we don\u2019t have to just get wetter and angrier. Instead, we can notice it\u2019s raining and that we\u2019re disappointed because we hoped it would be a nice day, and then put up an umbrella to not get soaked.<\/p>\n
It requires more preparation to avoid having severe weather turn into a calamity. In areas where tornados are common, having a safe place to seek shelter is key, as is building a strong structure out of the way of tidal surges in areas prone to hurricanes.\u00a0\u00a0 Similarly, to best be able to deal with other difficult life circumstances we need to prepare ourselves, and one way of doing this is through meditation practice. When we practice, we become more aware of the changing weather in our minds and bodies, and how when we acknowledge the thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations that arise and practice letting them be, they often have less impact. Sailors know they can\u2019t sail into too strong a headwind, and when it is extreme they may throw out a sea anchor and drift along with the wind instead of battling it.<\/p>\n
With practice, we may also find that there is a place of strength and stillness within us, a place that can provide refuge from the difficulties we are facing, just like in a strong structure during a tornado or a hurricane. Sitting with awareness, allowing our experience to just be as it is, without thinking about it or judging it, or wanting it to be different than it is, can be an internal place of refuge. As with taking shelter in a storm, the storm doesn\u2019t go away, but it can rage outside while we\u2019re safe inside. Similarly, we may find a place of\u00a0calm within ourselves that allows us to not get so buffeted by the difficult conditions affecting us. After a storm, there may be damage that has to be repaired, and when\u00a0circumstances are difficult we still may have to deal with loss and grief and other hardships, but perhaps we can do this from a steady foundation that we know will endure rather than a shaky one that we feel may get swept away, taking us with it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As I am writing this, I am sitting in a hotel room on vacation unable to go outside due to the weather. It\u2019s raining, the wind is blowing hard (with gusts over 60 miles per hour), and it\u2019s cold, a few degrees above freezing. Not ideal conditions for outdoor activities. So what are my choices […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-monthly-musings"],"acf":false,"yoast_head":"\n