We convey much about ourselves, by our attitude to a rainy day.
To complain about the rain is a pervasive pastime: and yet, we cannot live without rain. Rain is the source of life, bringer of nourishment, richness, fulfilment, diversity, abundance. Rain sustains, soothes, cleanses, refreshes, replenishes, energises and inspires us. In the spiritual life, rain symbolises divine blessings. Rain embodies and evokes the spiritual qualities of forgiveness, grace, compassion, love, concern, kindness, gratitude. Rain is conducive to meditation, awakening and illumining our consciousness, if we accept it gratefully.
So why would we complain about rain? Why bite the hand that feeds us so lavishly, generously and unconditionally?
A happy heart never complains, for happiness is its own reward, its own fulfilment. A happy heart shines upon the world around it, seeing blessings and opportunities everywhere. An unhappy mind seeks ever to complain, for in finding fault with the world and outer circumstances, the mind has a scapegoat to blame for its perpetual unhappiness, a punching bag onto which to project its own frustrating inadequacy.
The unhappy mind is a magnet for the negative, seemingly generating obstacles and problems out of thin air. Thus, the mind sees only the negative in a rainy day: the cancelled outdoor activities, traffic delays, slippery surfaces and soaked socks.
Rain threatens our dry mind; and is embraced by our flowing heart.
Our mind is certain in its fixity, while our heart thrives in spontaneity. Rain is beyond our mind’s control: rain interrupts our fixed plans, unbalances our mind’s certainty and frustrates its supremacy. Once our mind’s plans have been dashed, our heart’s spontaneity has an opening, an opportunity to blossom.
Now we know: every rainy day is a barometer of our healthy mind and happy heart.
Let the rain reign!