I grew up loving souvenir shops. All of the chachkas. So many little bins to burrow through. It was like a store filled with McDonald’s Happy Meal toys.
One of my favorites was always
right by the cash register. It was the box filled with moods rings. I’d slip one on my finger and wait for the color to change. Blue.
I’d look at the cardboard tab at the top of the box.
Blue = Calm
“I do feel calm”, I’d think to myself.
Regardless of how I was feeling before putting the mood ring on, I’d always shift my mood to the color of the ring.
Yellow = Upset
Great now I’m upset and I don’t even know why.
As an adult, I don’t need a special ring to change color to tell me my mood. I wake up and look out the window. The weather of the day is my mood ring. How I feel each day is so dependent on the weather.
If it’s rainy, I’m tired and have no energy to do anything. I want to stay in comfy clothes, under a cozy blanket, read and nap.
If it’s sunny outside, I’m all business. I can run all of the errands, take the dog for a walk, do a yoga class, and cook an exciting dinner with a smile on my face while dancing to a song.
If it’s too hot…I’m overheated and grumpy. Like hangry but with temperature. Don’t come near me, don’t touch me, I need to be left alone unless you’re bringing me an ice pack.
If it’s too cold…I can’t focus or concentrate to get things done. I’m shivering and want to stand under a hot shower head or lay immobile under a pile of blankets.
Fall and Spring are my absolute favorites. Crisp mornings, warm afternoons, cool evenings, moderate temperatures to soothe the nervous system.
As we’ve all noticed over the past many years, the seasons are not defined as they once were. There is hardly a beginning and end to each season other than when the calendar tells us of the change.
Here in the Northeast, it feels like it’s been raining on and off for five straight months. We had two beautiful fall days. I felt so happy, calm and creative (pink, blue, green). Then…more rain and blah (yellow).
It makes me wonder if Mother Nature wakes up in the morning, puts on a mood ring and that’s how she decides the weather for us. There is just no rhyme or reason to it.
This weekend, my son was supposed to come home from college on the train to surprise my husband for his birthday. We had it all planned out. We worked out the timing of my daughter picking him up from the train station and bringing him home right after all the family arrived for dinner. The three of us were so excited. Surprise!
Then Mother Nature sends down more rain and flash flooding. All trains have been suspended, the grandparents cancel because no one wants to drive in this weather and our perfectly planned birthday celebration gets turned upside down.
So how do we keep from letting Mother Nature and her ever changing mood ring not ruin our day or plans for our day.
Do we stomp our feet and throw a tantrum like petulant little children?
Do we make the best of it, things happen?
Do we sit in a pool of our tears and have a pity party for ourselves?
What if we did all of the above? Allow ourselves to feel all of the feels.
Can that be okay? To take a few moments to be sad, disappointed, angry. To put off doing something because we just don’t have the energy today or maybe push through and get what needs to get done and then put off the rest.
Trust me. I have no answers. I just know today I was excited, happy, disappointed, sad and then finally calm and grateful.
Grateful that everyone was safe. We will celebrate another day. My husband, daughter and I made the best of the day just the three of us. We salvaged the day with pizza and cupcakes.
So next time Mother Nature plays her dirty trick on you, allow yourself to feel all the moods. Let the colors ebb and flow. Let the beauty of all the feels move through you and embrace it all with a sense of gratitude.
With love and kindness,
Wendy
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