Yesterday afternoon, while drinking a coffee at the local café / restaurant, I talked to the cook and co-owner of the place. It was a grey, rainy day and he wasn't doing well. He said something in Portuguese about the weather that I don't remember clearly. It went along the line of: this is sick(ness) weather. I asked for an explanation and we started talking about how rain affects people. Like I said, fe wasn't feeling well. His stomach hurt and blamed the weather for it.
Although - being a Dutchie - and having a background ( yeah, you read that well, that refers to the past ) of depression and negative thinking - complaining comes easily to me, I have been making a huge shift in mindset over the last year and a half or so.
So, instead of agreeing with him, I tried to turn the talk towards the question:
Why is it that we, as kids, seem to really enjoy rain - playing in mud puddles and all - and as adults start to hate it, are extremely low on energy on rainy days and so on?
I tend to think that it's a thing of the mind ( as are most things ), a mental shift that we're making due to having to go to not very fun things and places ( merely school and job related obligations ) through the rain and getting soaked several times. It's not the weather itself, it's the obligations. The things we think we have to do.
It's also a cultural thing. Many people in countries with loads of rain ( and at times in countries with not too much of it ) have difficulties enjoying the rain. I used to be one of these people.
Today though, I felt a strong urge to go out in the rain. When I finally did, I enjoyed it quite a lot. It energized me ( for a change ), I felt like talking loads of pictures. I know how important this heavenly water is for nature, especially in dry regions like these. I also realize that it might be the only rain in a while, it's Summer after all. And from tomorrow onward it's gonna get warmer and dryer. Nature needs some kind of buffer, no matter how small.
I took a bunch of pictures of flora and fauna and of some ruins in my neighborhood. I enjoyed the rain with my eyes closed, tried to catch some of it on my tongue ( there wasn't enough for that ) and marveled on how it made the plants and flowers around me move.
I also enjoyed the bits of insect life that I could find around me. Most insects were probably hiding. Right now, the sky is opening up again and birds are getting active once again.
Life is good!
Have I turned from a rain disliker ( hate is too strong a word ) into a rain lover? I don't know for sure. I need more rain to find that out. One thing's for sure though: I have become way more positive lately and calling rain ( positive or ) 'negative' is just a matter of perspective.
Water is so very important and it isn't divided very fairly. So let's enjoy it as much as we can on days like these.
P.S. Thanks go to @vibesforlive and @inuke , both of whom played a small part in changing my mind on rain. Vibesforlife asked me - not too lang ago - to post a picture of Portuguese rain. After I had done so, she asked if she could use it as her desktop background, as it felt very soothing / peaceful for her :>)
@inuke told me, when I informed how he was handling the thunder and rain on his holiday location in the place where he grew up in, that he was really enjoying it. Always does. And why shouldn't he? Pretty logical, as he has been experiencing extreme weather conditions in Indian metropoles for many years now.
( How ) do you like the rain and how do you think your background / upbringing influenced this? I'm looking forward to hearing your story :>)
P.S. I am part of the #naturalmedicine group and #mindfullife community and like to partake in one or two weekly sessions of guided group meditation, hosted by @bewithbreath For more info on these sessions, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, feel free to go here
