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Meditation
This Too Shall Pass
A story about rain that could also be about something else.
Posted September 13, 2021 Reviewed by Davia Sills
Key points
- It doesn't matter how heaving and foreboding the weather; the storm always passes.
- No matter how dark your mood or difficult your circumstances, these things are not permanent.
- Mindfulness, meditation, and other strategies can help you deal with these things.
- Next time you go walking in the rain, hold your head up high.
I used to really hate the rain. Which is unfortunate, as I live in England, where it rains a lot. A whole lot.
Until a few years back, I used to rally and rail against the rain. I used to rage against it. I would shout and swear and implore, sometimes shaking my fist at the very sky and whatever rain gods it contained that day.
In my more paranoid moments, I would become convinced that I was a rain god myself, albeit an unwitting and reluctant one. An unfairly chosen one. I assumed that the raindrops loved me and worshipped me, which is why they always rained down so heavily upon me. And I always, always made myself feel so much worse than I needed to. My life was governed by the rain. My life was reduced by it.
I wouldn’t go out in it for a start. Not for a second. I would also often cancel social engagements because of it and stay at home. And if the rain were to last for days, which it often and invariably does, I would cancel a whole slurry of engagements. I would stare at storms sullenly through the windows whilst stuck at home and moan about all the things it was stopping me from doing.
On really, really horrible tempestuous days and nights, I’d even go to bed and stay there. If I was out and got caught in a storm, I’d immediately take shelter until that storm had passed, sheltering with a whole bunch of other people who were doing the same thing. Together we would moan and complain about the rain and make each other feel worse.
All of the above always made me feel worse. But it didn’t speed the passing of any storms, and the rain just kept on raining until it decided to stop. Yes, I could use an umbrella, but what’s the point? They always turn inside-out on you, so you’re stuck in a squall with a broken and fiddly contraption. Or you leave them on a bus. So many buses, so many umbrellas.
And then, one day, I decided to learn a form of meditation over the course of a five-day workshop. Day one taught me all about the mental and physical health benefits of meditation—reduced stress, improved mood, better concentration, decreased blood pressure, better sleep, and more—and we began our first practice on the very first day. I didn’t feel much the first time, nor the second, but, on the third day, a sense of calm euphoria descended. I commented as such.
On leaving, the skies grew dark and then opened. And the rain came down in torrents. I almost went to seek shelter as per usual but then thought, "To hell with it," and embraced it. I decided to enjoy it and walk home with my head held high. I got absolutely soaked to the skin. I made it home, I toweled myself dry, and then I watched the storm pass.
The storm always passes.
Since then, I’ve been much better in the rain. I even got caught in a brief but heavy shower coming home from the supermarket whilst laden down with groceries the other day. I got thoroughly soaked once again, but I also enjoyed it once again.
I don’t always enjoy it. Sometimes I do. I learn to ride it out as best I can and appreciate how it feels to be in the storm. Sometimes I scurry home as quickly as I can or take the nearest available shelter. Sometimes I do still cancel social engagements because I don’t want to go out in it. Sometimes, on really wild and horrible days and nights, I will still take to my bed. And why not? It is perfectly acceptable to do any and all of these things when it rains and rains down hard.
But whether I let myself get soaking wet, stay indoors, or stay in bed, I do all these things with a calm acceptance. I do all these things with the understanding that the storm will pass and the weather will get better. Not for long, because this is England after all.
But even a brief burst of sunshine is better than no sunshine at all. And good weather can surprise you as much as the bad. Recently, for instance, we enjoyed a September heatwave and several days of brilliant sunshine.
As I write this, it is raining again. But that is OK. The rain does not control me. It doesn’t decide what I do when it comes calling; I do.
And meditation really helped me with that.
