The beauty of the rain

The rainy season in The Netherlands has officially started. Today is the last day of October and this month it has been raining almost every day.

I used to be one of the people whose moods were influenced by the weather. Especially when the weather was bad, I was dreaming of moving to a country where the sun is always shining.

It took me years (or in fact a lot of deep meditation sessions) to get used to it and now I actually find beauty in those dark, cold, rainy days.

The global warming and the rising temperatures I have experienced in The Netherlands during the last couple of summers have helped me appreciate also the rainy days.

Good weather is exhausting. At least for me. I have noticed that when the weather is good I feel pressure to go out. Or perhaps it is more like guilt to stay at home or even fear of missing out.

As the sunny days in The Netherlands are rare occasions, people here tend to leave all their duties behind for a few hours in the sun. It is very normal to take the day off last minute in order to enjoy the weather.

However, when the weather stays good for too long, I get exhausted from spending too much time outside. Although I sometimes secretly feel like putting down the curtains and shutting myself out from the outside world, I often end up going out or at least sitting on the balcony. That’s when I start praying for rain.

I realized that if I would live in a country, or even worse, a world, where the sun will always be shining, I would find it difficult to allow myself to stay at home and relax. Besides I would really miss the coziness of going under the blanket and feeling the warmth of the heating.

Winter doesn’t need to be as long and cold as in Alaska. Nor summer needs to be as hot and burning as in Dubai. The more I traveled to the East, the more I started to appreciate the beauty of each season and to be grateful for the climate here in Europe.

Don’t get me wrong, I still hate to get wet when it’s raining. And I still can get annoyed when the cold and darkness continue for far too long. But as I couldn’t change the weather forecast, I had to find a way to adapt my mindset to the situation.

When I became more silent and observing, I realized that the world has been built so smartly that there is a lot of wisdom in the changing weather conditions.

Each season has its charms and each day reminds us that no matter how hard we try we cannot influence the weather. Nor can we influence everything that happens in our lives.

Some days are sunny and bright. Some days are dark and rainy.

Besides the days when we feel joy and happiness, there are moments when not everything is going as planned. Times when we feel overwhelmed, sick, tired, miserable.

The various seasons resemble life and it is exactly the “bad” days that help us appreciate the “good” ones.

Sooner or later the rain will be followed by the sun. No matter how challenging our days can get, the challenge will pass and we will feel better again. Weather and life are in constant movement.

The reason I am sharing my insights regarding the weather is to remind you that similar to the weather, life cannot only be bright and sunny.

I believe that if we learn to accept the rain, we will learn to accept the duality of life.