“No one comes to London for the weather.” The cabbie made the comment offhandedly, but that did not diminish the truth behind it. He was correct that the destination of choice in February is typically not northern Europe. We had come to London for a long weekend, tacking on a few sight-seeing days ahead of a work conference.
In planning the weekend, we knew to expect clouds, chilly wind, and possibly rain at any given time. So we set about our sightseeing bundled in jackets and with an umbrella in hand. We enjoyed the city in the opaque light from the cloudy skies, and seemed to always be walking into the wind. (I can now empathize more with those of you who grew up walking to school uphill both ways in the snow.)
We followed our own three days in London tour, taking in many sights that we had only read about to date. We ate at Borough Market, strolled across Tower Bridge, saw a show by Piccadilly Circus, marched along with the old guard on their way to Buckingham Palace, saw artifacts from every continent at the British Museum, and of course, we minded the gap.
What if we had let the weather dictate our trip? What if our expectations were misaligned when we stepped off the plane? The chill and wind would have nixed a picnic in the park. It would have been a waste to bring along sunscreen and a beach book. We could have come away from such a trip feeling disappointed, unfulfilled, and frustrated.
On the flight home, it struck me that weather is not just a physical phenomenon. It shows up every day in every situation. My day to day weather looks like the following:
– The slow driver in the fast lane.
– A client’s unreasonable request after delaying their part of the project.
– The loud talker on his phone sitting next to me.
– The leak in the toilet valve.
When I am able to recognize it as unwanted weather and resist the urge to control it, I am more at peace. Trying to control the weather tends to put me in a “why me” trap and leaves me feeling powerless.
As with environmental weather, it can also be splendid at times:
– The close-in parking space.
– The octopus that came out of hiding during a snorkel outing.
– The kind words from a colleague that made my day.
These pleasant weather moments deserve to be appreciated, for sure. Who doesn’t enjoy the glow that comes from such situations? But it is important to recognize that they are as beyond my sphere of influence as the negative environments. I cannot force the good weather to happen; only express gratitude that it did.
The challenge comes in recognizing the weather, both good and bad, as such. I suppose at its core, this exemplifies the serenity prayer as I strive to sort out and accept the things that I cannot change.
To that end, I will continue to work on developing the wisdom I need to identify the weather each day. With that wisdom, I can stop fighting the bad, keep celebrating the good, and direct my energy to making the most of the journey no matter the weather. And I will always carry an umbrella.