Learning to Dance in the Rain ??????

 

Rain.

Everyone hates rain.

Don’t they?

I mean who could possibly like rain?

It gets you wet when you’re out, you have to stay inside, and it makes the sky all grey and dull.

I used to hate rain.

Definitely.

I was like the majority of the world.

I liked sun.

That’s it.

But something changed for me.

I now love rain.

Let’s have a look at the facts of rain.

We live on planet Earth.

On Planet Earth we have something called Weather.

This means sometimes it might be hot and sunny, sometimes cold and snowing and a lot of the time it rains.

So rain is natural right?

It is going to rain.

I am going to have to experience rain for the rest of my life aren’t I?

Ok so if It is definitely going to rain for the rest of my time on planet earth and there’s nothing I can do to change that then is it not just best to accept that?

I think it is.

Rather than just accepting it.

You need to actually try and start enjoying it.

This realisation came for me when I was cycling in the rain just recently.

When I first started cycling. I used to HATE rain.

and I mean really HATE it.

it used to leave me feeling so bad, it used to actually depress me and there were times cycling around the West Coast of Scotland where rain made me feel suicidal.

How mental is that?

Feeling suicidal over one of the most natural things on this amazing planet of ours.

The nature of what I’m doing means I’m going to experience a lot of rain.

Like a lot of it.

Cycling around the world means you are outside for a large majority of the day.

You can’t just stay inside when it rains

You need to actually stay in the rain all day just to get to your next destination.

So I have to learn to accept and appreciate the rain.

Let’s look at the facts.

Let’s say it rains for 5 days a month of my cycle tour.

If I don’t like rain then that’s 5 days of the month every month ruined ??

This challenge is going to take me a good few years.

So if I don’t like rain than there’s 60 days every year ruined for me.

2 months out of every year I have to be sad and upset because it’s raining?

That seems like a lot.

If I cycle for 6 years then that means for 1 whole year of my journey I will have been sad or angry or frustrated at the rain.

So I decided that I had to shift my mindset.

Nowadays

I LOVE rain.

I mean what’s not to love.

We need rain to survive.

Imagine a world with no rain.

There would be huge droughts, farmers would go out of business, lakes would dry up it would be a disaster for the world.

So now I try to enjoy and appreciate the rain.

I thought about it very practically and thought what is it about rain that I used to not like and how can I change that?

Well first of all it gets you wet.

Ok so I went and bought a really good set of waterproofs and my cycling bags are all waterproof so that problem has now been solved.

“What else do you not like about rain Josh?”

Ehhh

I couldn’t really think.

I suppose it was just getting wet.

But now I don’t get wet anymore so it’s all good.

So now when I’m cycling and I see that the rain is starting I start to appreciate it and get excited for a good rain shower all cosy in my waterproofs.

DISCLOSURE?—?I’m not saying that I prefer rain to sun. I’m not that mental.

Of course I would love for the sun to be shining bright each day with not a cloud in sight.

But that’s not realistic.

it’s going to rain as I’ve discussed.

So I need to learn to love and appreciate the rain whilst it’s there.

I had my first big rain storm yesterday and it was a lot of fun.

It’s actually really cool to be out in the rain when it’s bucketing down and you’re trying to enjoy the experience rather than hating it.

The main point here is that you can’t deny what is.

I’ve been reading a lot on this recently in my books around Buddhism and Spirituality.

Why deny what is happening?

Why attribute any negative emotions to something you can’t control or have influence over.

Think about it

If you hate the rain, and you moan and complain about it what do you think happens?

Do you think the rain God is sitting upstairs beside his buddies Thunder and Lightening saying

“You guys wait a minute”

“I need to stop this whole rain thing”

“That guy down there in Scotland hates me doing this and is complaining about it.

“Maybe I should just pack it in.

“No one likes me anyway”

That doesn’t happen does it?

No of course it doesn’t

As fanatical as that sounds it’s the reality of what your moaning and complaining does.

You can complain as much as you want about the rain.

But at the end of the day it’s still going to happen.

So if it’s still going to happen and complaining doesn’t change it or improve your personal situation why do it?

A negative reaction like moaning or complaining is going to lead to a negative result for you.

You’ll feel a lot worse complaining about it.

You’re filling yourself with negative energy and will just feel worse.

So there’s really no point moaning or complaining about something you have no influence over.

Alternatively.

You could try and flip your mindset and change your opinion on rain.

Here’s something that helps me when it rains now.

As well as trying to enjoy the experience of being out in a rain storm, I try to think of all the people who are now benefiting from it raining.

If I’m in the countryside cycling I think of all the farmers who’s plants and crops are being watered.

I think of the farmer’s family being able to sit and eat their dinner around the table because the farmer sold those crops.

I think of that family sitting enjoying a meal and sharing their day with each other.

I then think of all the plants and trees around the world who are getting their source of water.

How beautiful the plants look as a result of being watered.

That’s a much better way to think about rain than moaning about it or letting it get you upset, angry or frustrated.

Especially if you live in a country like Scotland.

How often does it rain in Scotland?

If you don’t like rain why the hell do you live in Scotland?

Rather than spending 10/15 days every month upset about the weather try to appreciate it.

Try to enjoy it.

This is just one tiny example of many of life’s apparently negative events or occurrences that can be changed to a positive.

There are tons of things that are apparently bad that you can change to be viewed as good.

Try to find the good in every situation

No matter how bad.

You see nothing in life is objective.

It’s all about how we view things

The world is only as you see it.

And if you choose to see rain as a good thing.

Then your life will be a lot better and you’ll be happier as a result.

The Tartan Explorer  ??????