Today is beautiful. I am up early, coffee made and sitting listening to the glorious rain. As a nation, we British seem to find weather a constant topic of conversation. It is an amusement to our fellow nations just how we chat about the conditions with animate ease, often complaining! My complaint is the heat. I, like many others cannot stand the heat and much prefer the cosiness of autumn and the crisp cold of the winter. Layers of clothing, freezing faces, hot chocolate and the warmth of a welcoming fire. Perfect. I would gladly live in a part of the world that has snow each year, high banks of the soft white ice, picturesque scenery, snowmen and tobogganing. To me, that is idyllic. However, I see on the news how much havoc that can cause when people actually live in these places. The idea of it is wonderful, I am not sure if the reality would live up to that fantasy.
It rarely does. Let’s face it. We often take a portion of our lives and wish it were different. We see a picture, visit somewhere, watch a programme, follow a celebrity and wish we were like them, had that, did that, could go there. Whatever it may be. For me, it is escaping from the heat! Yet, the heat is only a few weeks of the year. Yes, it is becoming more severe during the summer and no, we hardly see snow in winter anymore but, the main thing is, we adapt. Long may that continue.
Whatever we are faced with, humans are capable of the most extraordinary ability to become accustomed to circumstances. Now, of course, the weather is by no means the most impactful in lives, I mean, of course, family tragedy, illness and such would certainly be more traumatic and the adaptation of life thereafter far more challenging. But we manage. We muddle through. We survive. Even if we are suffering, we have a resilience that we don’t always acknowledge or appreciate. Most of us, sadly not all, will come out the other side having travelled our journey, however long or short, of adapting to a new way of life, a new set of circumstances, a change from before. We may not like it or it may be a fantastic new opportunity and a total reset of our lives for the better. Whichever way, we cope.
For me, like so many others, music is my safety net. Whatever the circumstance, the music is there to wrap me in sound and help ease the turmoil or to feed the flames of a new venture or exciting idea. Even if you are not really into music (some people actually aren’t!) then you will still hear a piece on the radio, or in a public place that subconsciously transports you to a memory, a person, a time in your life that relates to the music. It can give us a power to achieve. As an example, take “housework” music!
What is yours?
Mine will usually be power ballads, say, Tom Jones, Bonnie Tyler or Joe Longthorne at full blast! My “work to” music will be Chill Out tunes and my relaxing style is, of course, Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London, Straight No Chaser, Hans Zimmer etc….. My driving music is, rather vainly, myself come to think of it or another couple of driving favourites are Classical FM and the 80’s! So we each have varied tastes and usually we can fit one style to a particular part of our daily routines.
Another adaptation of life which we select to suit our own personal circumstances. We are remarkable machines in human form and we have more to discover about the way we function. For the time being, I just enjoy what is around me. Things as simple as the rain, marvelling in the sunlight catching the smallest of drops as it clings to the leaf of the blossoming honeysuckle as the sheltering bee does its best to keep dry underneath his makeshift umbrella.
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