What a week for weather here in the US! Earthquakes in places that aren’t typically known for earthquakes, hell even up here in Maine I felt the ground move. Granted I thought maybe my evening glass of vino had caught up with me and was quite relieved when I learned it was an earthquake and not me losing my mind. Especially since the Spousal Unit didn’t feel a thing, but as a California raised boy unless things are falling off shelves earth movements don’t register with him.
No sooner than folks were over the unexpected earthquake now we are being told to prepare for Hurricane Irene, apparently Irene is expected to slam into the east coast, places like New York City are actually making preparations and folks are freaking out. Of course in places like Philly and New York City one doesn’t typically expect to be impacted by hurricanes, so it makes sense folks are freaking out but there is also the irritation that plans are going to be disrupted.
The thing is there is no arguing with weather, we cannot coerce weather into giving us what we want, in fact she gives us what she wants. I have been in Maine nine years now and it’s a lesson I have learned well in my time here. When we first landed in Maine back in 2002, I was the typical impatient big city gal and well in Maine especially in winter, weather happens. Oh, coming from Chicago I understood snow and cold but in big cities life rarely stops due to bad weather so imagine my surprise when I learned that a seemingly not so big storm in Maine could mean being stuck in my house a few extra days. It was maddening.
Yet the longer I am here, I have learned to surrender to the weather, whatever she brings I accept because arguing with reality because it doesn’t fit my desires makes no sense whatsoever. Instead I find that when the weather decides that I need to stay in my house rather than doing whatever it was that I had planned, it often comes at a time when I need to slow down, take a break and be present in the moment both with myself and those closest to me. In recent years I have come to see stormy weather as an unexpected gift to myself and my family. Now I plan ahead when I hear of a storm, sure I go to the store and make sure we have edibles and all that jazz, but I also detour over to the library to grab some books and maybe a film or two.
With all that is going on in the world and on this planet I can only imagine that Mother is not happy with us and that the unexpected and violent weather we are seeing is proof of that. Sure we all love a gorgeous summer day and while Mother gives us those days, she gives us the not so beautiful days as a message too. Yet it is up to us to decide what we will take away from what she gives us.