photo by K. Mohan via Flickr

It’s a beautiful, sunny, atypically warm winter’s day in the Midwest, and I’m thinking about rain. Go figure. I’ve got a few random things to share.

First, this week of Sharon Salzberg’s meditation challenge is about dealing mindfully with emotions.  The acronym she uses is RAIN. Here are the four “steps”:

Recognize: The first step is to recognize the feelings. She writes, “You can’t figure out how to deal with an emotion until you acknowledge that you’re experiencing it.”

Acceptance: The second step is acceptance. “We tend to resist or deny certain feelings, particularly if they’re unpleasant. But in our meditation practice, we’re open to whatever emotion arises.”

Investigate: The third step is to investigate the emotion. “Instead of running away from it, we move closer, observing it with an unbiased interest. In order to do that we need to take a moment, not only to refrain from our usual reaction, but also to unhook from the object of the feeling.”

Nonidentification: The fourth step is not identifying with the emotion. “The embarrassment or disappointment you’re feeling today isn’t your whole résumé, the final word on who you are and who you’re going to be. Instead of confusing a temporary state with your total self, you come to see that your emotions arise, last a while, then disappear. You feel some fear, and then you don’t. You’re resentful, and then you aren’t.

Second, I decided to look up some quotes about rain and here are a few I liked:

Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life. -John Updike

Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet. -Roger Miller

Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life. – John Updike

Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. -Langston Hughes

The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

And finally, here is a beautiful, original sound clip called “Rain Follows.” I hope you’ll listen and enjoy.