Forecast: Changeable

"There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather."

- John Ruskin

Every morning, the first thing I do before stepping into my day is open the blinds and check the sky. What is the weather doing? Will I need to wrap up? In which direction is the wind blowing? Any sea mist about? It is a ritual that I am sure many of us don’t notice any more.

Living in Britain means you can sip your morning tea in a T-shirt, wrap up for a walk at midday, and peel off the layers again by teatime. Predictable? Not quite. Character-building? Absolutely.

Interestingly, it is very much like peri/menopause. One moment clear skies, the next an unexpected storm (and sometimes even one in a teacup!), a heatwave or a sudden emotional drizzle. Just when you think you have your inner forecast in check, the hormonal symphony makes it take a new turn.

Back in 340 BC, long before the invention of the raincoat, Aristotle (often called the father of meteorology) wrote Meteorologica, which means exploring everything “high up” (meteoros) and “worthy of discussion” (logia). And discuss it we do!

The weather is not just something we experience, it keeps us talking. I love the colourful language used in different countries to describe, for example a downpour. When it rains “cats and dogs” in Britain the French elegantly say it is “like a peeing cow.” In Greece, it rains “chair legs.” The Irish sky “throws cobblers’ knives” and in Wales, forget the umbrella go for the helmet as it is “raining knives and forks”. If you have a favourite weather expression, don't save it for a rainy day, please share it in the comments I’d love to hear it.

When I moved to Britain in the 90’s, I learned that the weather was a national icebreaker. It is used as a greeting, fills silences, opens doors and even hints at someone’s mood. The way we express ourselves about the weather can tell a lot about our inner weather too.

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This month, I invite you to:

Check your internal weather forecast

Because truthfully, our inner weather matters as much as the outer.

Pause. Take a breath. Tune inwards:

• What is your inner weather right now?

• If your mind was a sky, what would it look like?

• Can you feel a storm brewing? Do you need to take a rain check?

• How about ‘taking a measurement’ of your energy level? On a scale from -10 to +10

• • • • •

As autumn deepens and the days gently shorten, I invite you to be intentional and take a measure of your inner forecast every now and then. Notice the patterns and remember weather always shifts, both outside and within.

You may not control the clouds, but you can carry your own kind of sunshine and dare to be the change you want to see in your organisation, family, community and life.

Image Credit: Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash