As some of you will know I nearly emigrated to California a couple of years ago, and I still hanker to live somewhere with a warmer climate! I am writing this on a damp, colourless August bank holiday which as I look out of my office window at the river, reminds me more of October than of my idea of August. I am sure I remember hot sunny August bank holidays in my childhood; on the beach in Wales, long warm weeks of hosepipes bans and the aim to get my legs. I am sure the summers did not used to be this disappointing!
The weather effects how we feel. Some more than others are immediately drained by a dull day or uplifted by sunshine.
I love a warm day with a breeze & find that I will potter in my little garden, eat meals in my garden, meet friends for walks and generally make my life an outside one in good weather. Whereas days like today I am more tempted to do paperwork, clean bathrooms and potter inside. Risking, in our NW climate, spending many days with hardly any outside time unless I make an effort to get myself into nature.
This isn’t the best attitude as I know the secret of being happy is accepting where we are in life and making the most of it every day. This is easy for me to do in many other parts of my life. I am blessed with a fantastic work life where I interact with wonderful people, a close family, friends who support me, laugh with me and generally make my life feel sunnier on the damp days! However the secret of being happy is having a positive attitude about the not so fantastic things too, like the weather! After all would I appreciate my sunny yoga retreats quite so much if I lived in a sunny climate?!
Maybe I need to remind myself that chasing the sunshine may not actually make me happy. Maybe I need instead to accept where I am, and not give away that sense of satisfaction at a life well lived.
There are many factors that effect how we feel about life, ourselves and our dreams; the company we keep, the weather, the job we do. We are all guilty of allowing external situations to influence our mood rather than making that choice every day to deal with whatever the day brings us, rain or shine, with a smile and a positive attitude.
So I am now trying to accept the pooh weather in the NW with a more positive attitude. I am purchasing more wet weather clothing so I can be comfortable whatever combination of temperature and wetness is outside. I am setting the intention of my yoga practice to be acceptance and gratitude. Gratitude for all I have and acceptance of where I am. Right now. Not where I could be!! Although to be honest this is easier knowing in only 6 weeks I will be practicing yoga in the sunshine in Ibiza!!
