“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.”  John Ruskin

Such a lovely perspective and attitude, but I may have to work especially hard to appreciate the downpour that  started this morning and continues.  This is a perspective that is especially hard for me.  It not only puts a dent in what I can do for the day, but it makes it difficult to avoid the “if only” list in my mind.  I would really be happy that it is raining if I had a garden planted, if I didn’t have so many weeds that need to be treated or cut back, if I had a crop that was benefitting; I could go on and on.

So how does one turn something that is negative, at least to that person, into a positive?  I suppose the altruistic approach is one.  The farmers and ranchers are happy to see the rain.  Not working.  It will keep the dust down for a little longer.  Maybe.  The single wildflower I spotted yesterday may have cousins that appear after this downpour.  One can only hope.  Above the valley as I am, I am floating in a cloud, all the edges of my world softened by the mists and the steady rain.  Beauty works.  The air smells so clean and the scent of the pines is pronounced.  Sensory awareness, good one!

The work to turn our thoughts from the negative to the positive can be strenuous and at times hardly seems worth the effort, which of course is the negativity shouting to drown out the happiness that is so elusive at times.  Spending the time, in this case a good hour, to turn the tide of the next twenty-three is worth it when viewed proportionally.  It is a useful reminder that choosing to be happy takes mindfulness, determination to turn unhappiness aside, and effort to find  one’s happiness on the internal compass.

Will I be dancing in the rain? Maybe not.  But I will spend the day looking for the positives, paying close attention to the birds, wildflowers and grasses that all seem to be dancing in the rain.