It's been a wild weather week. First came the rain--days of rain. Then came the cold. My backyard is puddles of water and snow. Ice falls from trees and telephone lines. I worry about the green shoots in my flower beds. Yet it's out of my hands. Nature is a wonderful teacher--of patience, loss, resilience, and growth.
It's also been a wild week for my internal weather. I've seen the depths of sadness and the heights of joy. I've experienced fear and calm, frustration and contentment, exhaustion and creativity. Our emotions mimic patterns of weather. Some feelings stay longer, some visit briefly; some emotions we enjoy, others we dislike. But no weather is permanent, just like no feeling is final. Change is what we can count on.
I question my internal weather forecast. At times it's helpful to predict my emotions, if they might be strong and I might be tender. But that's merely a prediction. Who knows how I'll actually feel until the moment arrives? Again, it's out of my hands.
I chuckle when I read an incorrect right-now weather forecast. Like when the current status is rain, yet I see clear blue sky. The same happens with our internal weather. We assume we're fine when the actual feeling is sadness or frustration. We think we're fearful when the real emotion is excitement. We expect to be angry yet encounter empathy.
It's good to question the internal forecast: What am I feeling right now? What needs attention inside me? In this moment, what stands between me and happiness? It's good to ask these questions and make space for the answers--to actively view our internal weather. Because the layers of unpredictable snow can melt and reveal lush, green grass.