“The heavens opened” the other day and it rained and rained and rained. I was reminded that I cannot control the inclement weather: I am not God. I can only dictate my response to it. Why then do so many of us lament a poor climate when it occurs – whether it is extremely cold or blisteringly hot – it makes no sense, does it?
I grew up in a part of the world where it rains for eight months a year and “mists” the other four, the winter temperature being quite cool — dropping to an average of 3 degrees Celsius. Thus, I remember it being always wet and always cold. If you were not “going to go mad,” you had to find a way to commune with nature – to join her in her inexplicable mission.
To this end, you came to accept the vagaries that Gaia proffered and found a way to accept her gifts. How do you stay warm in such an inhospitable locale? As an adolescent, I received a birthday gift in the form of a Cowichan Indian sweater, a true blessing. “Contemporary Cowichan sweaters are knit from natural, hand spun, undyed sheep’s wool. This strong and stretchy yarn makes a sweater that keeps its shape. The high lanolin (1) content of the wool makes a water repellant, stain resistant sweater that keeps its wearer warm and dry, absorbs body moisture, and ventilates body heat.” (2) It is your classic thick pullover, as the British say. The garment literally envelops your body shape during a torrential downpour, which, as a child, I remember many.
Traditionally, the clothing was made out of a type of dog hair sheared from the Salish dog. (3) This remarkable hound became extinct in the late 19th century and sheep’s wool was subsequently used as its replacement.
The other important tool accessed during the many months of seemingly endless rain was the raging wood stove — a type of heater that generated warmth and could also be used to heat a pot of coffee or cook a quick meal. (4) A combination of these two, the sweater and the woodstove, made residing on the west coast of Vancouver Island almost livable during the endless dark winter months.
But the real benediction gleaned from all of this was the meditative power of the environment herself. In the rain, you are alone – the ensuing droplets precluding conversation. You are moist and silent. This produces a state of deep reflection and allows for life’s infinite frustrations to be put into perspective. I recall many a walk on a windswept beach during a storm. In your sweater, you were wet but warm. Mrs. Baillie, Mother Baillie, had a general store, with a wood stove of course. On my way home, I would stop and have a cup of coffee and talk about the world outside of our little village.
At this point in my life, the future seemed insurmountable and foreboding. Her wise wisdom was the soothing conclusion to any introspective hike. So today, when I think of the weather, no matter how nasty, I return to being 15 years old, drenched and cold sitting beside Mrs. Baillie’s woodstove, slowly feeling my spirit calming and my body warming.
The eminent art historian and author, John Ruskin (5), leaves us with a thought: Sunshine is delicious; rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, and snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.
A closing thought: Our weather is, of course, changing. The cold weather of my youth is now even colder, curiously due to Global Warming and its disruption of the ocean currents. (6) In recent years, precipitation in the form of snow has been a more common occurrence than I remember. Some would claim, however, that all weather patterns are ephemeral and we must simply get used to what exists at present. There is a certain truth to this. It is the philosopher’s well-known aphorism, “If you don’t like something change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” (7)
To sum up: This week we spoke about the weather and how we must acclimatize ourselves to it.
To be noted: Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted.
Just for fun: Carman Paris-Bastille Opera
For reflection: Stephen Fry & Steven Pinker on the Enlightenment Today
This week please ponder the rain when she embraces you.
Every day look for something magical and beautiful
Quote: We must all find a way to attend to nature: she is both mysterious and magical.
Footnotes:
1) Lanolin
5) John Ruskin