The Life and Weather Forecast

Lesley's Blog

Today it's raining. For a state that has a strong leaning towards drought conditions, the Spring rains are really important. So, we are grateful for the moisture that is pouring onto the Center of Oklahoma. The forecast was for occasional showers in the West. In this area of the country we are getting used to "hysterical" weather forecasts. Now I know that is partly because we are in tornado alley and the spotting and tracking of tornadoes can be life saving but at times we are told adamantly that one thing will happen and it doesn't or it happens in a completely different way.

The weather is a lot like life. Some days or times are like the sunshine, warm and nourishing. Other times are like storms, drenching us in difficult happenings and emotions. When our lives are filled with hail, freezing rain and mounds of snow we know we are in for overwhelming circumstances and can only hope we have what it takes to cope. Then there are those times when we are faced with the most serious of situations, the tornado times, when are lives can be ripped apart and we are holding on with all the strength we can muster.

(Even the "sun" times can feel too much and we need shade.)

Thinking about our lives like the weather helps us know that there are good times and not such good times. It is unrealistic to expect life to not have ups and downs, and many of them. Weather is also unpredictable and uncontrollable like so many things that occur in our lives to challenge us and help us strengthen our emotional muscles. But one of the best things about the weather is it comes and it goes and so do all the difficult times in our lives.  The rain stops eventually and the sun shines. The tornado dissipates and although we are left to clean up the mess, we are no longer in the thick of the trauma. Even with serious illnesses, we have days that are somewhat more bearable than others and for most of us, we have not lived our whole life with that challenge. I know the comparison is not exact by any means and I apologize to those whose lives are unbearable for long periods of time. But for most of us it is helpful when we are in the downs to remember that things come and go and eventually we come up. 

Weather forecasts are really interesting and the forecasters can work up quite a sweat telling us over and over again about some upcoming catastrophic weather event. The intensity can be fascinating and keep us glued to the screen. Unfortunately it is not an exact science and after many inaccurate forecasts we can feel that they are "crying wolf" and simply ignore their predictions.  Neither the complete belief or the complete rejection is very helpful.

(During "frozen" times it's best to stay loose.)

When we are growing up, authority figures tell us what to believe and what not to believe. They tell us who were are and who we should be and what sources of information are valid and what are not. When we become adults, a task we are face with is to challenge all of that and come to some sense about our own truth. Who do we think we are? What do we believe and what do we trust to tell us something that is close to the truth? It is a formidable challenge, especially in this day and age when there is so much information that it can be overwhelming. All that external "authority" is like the weather forecast. There is some truth in some of what others tell us but they certainly do not have the definitive answers for us. We have to figure that out for ourselves constantly asking the question "Is this true for me?". And the seeking of our truth is an evolving process for life is not black or white, even though we think that would make it easier. There are all manner of shades of all manner of colors and certainly no one size fits all. 

So, enjoy whatever the "weather" is at any given moment and take shelter" during the most threatening times. And  enter into a process of discernment for your truth with vigor, an open mind and plenty of patience and with a willingness to be surprised, just like with the weather.          

Wild Thing

Lesley's Blog

Eric and I have just returned from celebrating our wedding anniversary in New Orleans. My first time there, I found it to be a wonderful city to visit. We did all the typical tourist things: walking around the French Quarter, enjoying the jazz at Preservation Hall and in the streets, eating Beignets at Cafe Du Monde and all manner of delicious seafood at other restaurants, taking the streetcar to the Garden District to see the cemetery and the beautiful antebellum houses, visiting the Museum of Southern Art and the Aquarium.

We also participated in another typical tourist activity, a Swamp Tour. The scenery was beautiful but, of course, we were there to see the wild life, including the alligators. Much to our amazement marshmallows were used to to lure the animals from hiding and one type of treat fitted all as they also beckoned the racoons and the wild hogs. Those hairy pigs had been well trained and sat by the boats with their mouths open. Quite a sight.

But I am not really writing to give you a blow by blow account of our vacation. Seeing the wild scenery of the swamp and the wild boars got me thinking about wildness.  New Orleans has risen and, at times, fallen on what we think of wildness. We are all familiar with how the "wildness" of the weather and the ocean overwhelmed the city, almost bringing it to its knees. Assisted by the strength of the spirits of the people from that remarkable city it was rebuilt. Just as with Noah in the Great Flood, the dove found dry land and resurrection began.

During Mardi Gras, the city truly goes "wild". It is a time when anything goes and even the most staid of people get swept into the spirit of uninhibited behavior, or what we often label "wild". On any given night Bourbon Street is filled with folks who have imbibed more than a drink or two, all sorts of interesting looking attire and or course, the sound of music and the smell of wonderful food. One of the great things about Mardi Gras is that in many ways it gives the opportunity for "controlled" disinhibition. It is a set time period, in a specific place and manner and gives us lots of stories to tell when we are in our dotage.Many cultures, now and over the centuries have offered experiences during which people are given "permission" to act out for a limited time period before returning again to their regular, well socialized lives.

But another way to consider wildness is to look at the idea of inner wildness which I think about as our true nature, that part of us that is less influenced by the socialized human world. It is my belief that this wildness can be thought of as our basic essence and it is not linked to "anything goes", uninhibited, impulsive and often reckless behavior. From my perspective, such wildness is basically loving and kind and joyful. It is manifest in unexpected courage and the spirit that rebuilt New Orleans. It is the dove of peace and reconciliation that finds the calm after the storm and is willing to start again. It is found in the joy we experience in the little things in life and the laughter we share with good friends. It is the aspect of us that reveals our deepest desires that are for our highest good and assists in manifesting those desires. Spiritual discernment is what often leads us to know our inner wildness and that requires alone time and silence, not easily come by in our busy, goal directed society.

So, where do the wild boars come into these meandering thoughts of mine? They are not indigenous to the Americas and, as we have expanded our developments into more and more habitats of all animals, the boars have been squeezed too. They are in all the wrong places and have become increasingly destructive of things that we consider our right to have left alone. Originally their predators were wolves or tigers and during the time when nature was more able to balance itself, the populations were kept under control. Not so now. 

How are they like us? When we are in the "wrong" place emotionally we too can be destructive. Often we find ourselves "squeezed" into lives that feel confined and unsatisfying and, in an effort to cope, behavior that is harmful to us and others can ensue. So we need to ensure that our frontal lobes keep appropriate control of our choices, keeping our tendencies to be out of control well monitored. Now that is not the same as living a life without meaning, joy and creativity and, in fact, when we do allow all aspects of our brain to give input to create balance, then our lives our rich and full. A true wild life.