Weather

This evening, I read Jeremy's IndieWeb Carnival invitation post, in which he invites readers to write about the kind of weather they like most. In the beginning, Jeremy notes "Talking about the weather (and doing nothing about it) is a fact of life for British and many other societies." This got me thinking about the interactions I have that concern the weather. I sometimes randomly remark on the weather, start calls with a discussion on the weather, talk with delivery drivers about the weather.

The weather really is part of the British national discourse, and I love it. If I don't know someone well, the weather is a wedge into a conversation; if I am talking with someone on a call, the weather is a way to set the scene, allowing me to invite someone into the environment I am in at the time of calling.

Then I started to think about Jeremy's prompt: "I'm thinking more about discussing the kind of weather you take most pleasure in."

There are several kinds of weather that bring me joy, each for a different reason.

Some of the most joyful weather-related moments in the year for me is in early spring when I notice the weather is starting to get warmer. Leaves are starting to grow on trees after winter. I am able to go outside without winter clothing on. These moments remind me that winters may feel like they last for a long time but spring does come, metaphorically and literally. Sometimes I need this reminder: in the winters of life, there is still spring ahead.

I find joy in the warm summer days, too. The days I can go outside without a jumper or a coat. I often take a jumper just in case, but being able to go outside without one is delightful.

Then there are the rainy moments. Earlier this year, I was caught in the early morning by heavy rain. My clothes were soaked through. I was wet for hours. My shoes didn't dry out for hours. The rain was at its worst about two minutes away from the coffee shop I was going to visit. Then I smiled and laughed inside. I did not like the rain but I thought to myself "wow, it really is raining out here." There was nothing else I could have done other than keep walking to the coffee shop or go back, which would have taken even longer. Most shops were closed because it was early in the morning. So I tried to find some joy in the moment. And I did.

The still moments in early autumn when it is pleasant outside but the trees are starting to change colour are meaningful to me. I know winter is coming, but I have plenty of time to embrace the beautiful colours that come from the leaves. Some leaves turn brown quickly; others go through a long yellow period before falling off trees and turning brown. All trees change at different times, so what may once have been a field of green is now a field of a vast range of colours. I like the crunching sound of leaves on a path, too. We are in the early stages of autumn here in the UK as I write.

Then there are the winters. My favourite weather occasion in winter when it is a cold, bright morning. The kind of morning where there are few or no clouds in the sky (Most days I can usually see one tiny cloud in the sky somewhere, though! "Why is that always the case?" I ponder with a smile on my face. The mornings where you can see your breath in the air. I have fond memories of going to get bread on the day before Christmas with family during which we would walk through the cold. Reflecting on those moments brings me joy.

Those are four moments that bring me joy throughout the seasons. When weather makes me feel warm inside.

Thank you Jeremy for this writing prompt!