Summer’s spent,
Dusty, dry, hot;
Blessed is the Land when the rain comes.

Lately the weather has changed here. No longer is it sunny and hot: the sky is full of clouds, bringing English misty rain down and around all day and all night. Always there is the importance of balance, and never more so than with the weather. Dry for too long, as it has been, and grass becomes dry and golden, the earth becomes parched and cracks open. But life is enduring, and this rain has helped it to recover. The grass is brightening its green, plants are looking healthy and not wilting, and the earth is softening and slowly closing the cracks in it. Doing much gardening work over the past few months, I am much more aware of it than I would have been otherwise. I see how vital the rain is, even as I wish I didn’t have to work in the wet.

To many people, the Sky is some fickle god dishing out different weather in spite of our plans and desires… many of us don’t want to be wet, we like it to be sunny, but not too hot.. especially when we plan to be outside for something. We feel kicked around by fate, as if life is out of our control and we are victims of the whim of the weather. But the weather will be as it must be. It is a dynamic system, a part of the cycle of things, and a part of the Web of life, just as we are.

Learn to appreciate what the rain means for the life that lives outside, for the plants and the animals who do not have access to wells or mains taps. For the pond dwellers who may see the place they live shrinking and disappearing. Spare a thought for the farmers who work the fields, praying for rain so that their crops might grow strong enough to be sold, so that they may live comfortably, and that we might have food on our plates. Yes, it truly affects us all, so it is unwise to complain. It is far better to learn to live in harmony with the weather, to challenge our beliefs about what we like and what we don’t, and what is acceptable. As in most things, it is our attitude that decides whether we enjoy something or not. Remember, there are those that like singing in the rain…

Most of us have heard the phrase “action speaks louder than words”, but how many of us take this to heart? How many of us waste our time and energy talking about the things we wish to do, instead of actually doing them? How many of us are content to let our dreams take a back seat, knowing they are there, but never reaching for them?

It is only through action that we can bring about the changes that we desire. This applies to the world, and also to ourselves. Action can be big, like applying for a new job, or launching an environmental protection campaign, or it could be small, like calling someone on the telephone or reading through a website for something we want to know. Action can be obvious and physical, like those I just mentioned, or it can be less obvious and more mental, taking action by choosing to think certain thoughts, or act in a certain manner. For every action, there is a consequence, and it is up to us to take the actions that provide the more suitable consequences, in as much as we are able to foresee.

Taking action means taking responsibility. When we believe we can change something, and when we realize we can only control ourselves and what we do, then we take responsibility for our actions and our place in the world. If we want something done, it is best we begin with what we can do, and begin it right away. It is of no use waiting for someone else to do it, thinking we are incapable, or that we are above it all, or that we shouldn’t have to do it. If you don’t do it yourself, it might not get done. No one else can walk your path for you, no one else can live your life. Only you can do that.

“If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?” - Hillel

During the marking break at the Quiz Night we were at last night, Sam Mason and I wrote a poem, and we thought it worth sharing:

In the bleak garden,
There was a tempestuous storm afoot.
Fish rained down on Billy’s head;
In this crepuscular hour, he was knee deep in soot.
“Oh! The shame! The shame!”
Cried Billy as he sank to the floor.
And he wept for his blanket,
As his mum shut the door.