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| Photo courtesy of Midnight |
“April showers bring May flowers…”
I forget the rest of the lines to that saying, or maybe there aren’t
any. Anyway, spring flowers are growing like gangbusters in Southern California
right now, as they have been since mid-February. Although strong, El Nino-fueled weather systems were predicted to hit California this year, most of
the heavy rain (and “wintry feeling) headed up to and stayed in Northern
California, Oregon, Washington and the western coast of Canada. Instead, grass,
weeds and early blooms started blooming much earlier than usual. Even Death Valley National Park has been treated to a carpet of beautiful desert blossoms.
The unusual weather has also produced a phenomenon that I can’t remember
experiencing since I was a student in London: April showers. I vividly remember
the first time I was caught in one of those unexpected (to me) and unusual
deluges. A friend and I were chatting in a park when the clear blue sky opened
up and heavy drops of rain started to pelt down. For a woman who grew up in
Southern California, this phenomenon definitely counted as a subconscious “unknown.”
There was nothing in my conscious mind or subconscious experience—I knew you need
clouds to produce rain!—that prepared me for that moment. Rain didn’t happen in
Southern California unless there were plenty of clouds around. My friend just smiled
at my bewildered expression and reassured me that it was just an April shower
and would stop in a minute or so. Which it did, and then started again a little
while later. From that day I learned to accept and expect rain to come down
anytime and anywhere, including from a clear blue sky. Since I like rain and
changes in weather, it was kind of fun to be in on Mother Nature’s annual
seasonal joke.
To be honest, I hadn’t thought much about April showers until this
February. My sister and I were coming back from a walk around her neighborhood
when plump drops of water once again started to fall from a clear, blue sky. There
were a few heavy rain-clouds nearby but definitely not overhead; nonetheless, we
were in the middle of an “April shower.” Like me two decades previously, my
sister looked completely puzzled and disbelieving as she gazed at the sky. “There
aren’t even any clouds!” she said.
I was treated to another April shower earlier this afternoon when I was
at the barn, grooming my horse. Once again, there were some heavy clouds in the
distance but overhead the sky was blue and spitting tiny drops of water. Galahad
cocked a hind foot and nickered softly as I ran the shedding blade over his
coat. I knew that the light shower would make his hair stick to my skin and
clothes, but I didn’t care. It would be April in two days and these showers
were a beloved rite of spring that I came to enjoy when I lived in England.
Anyway, all those spring blossoms need water to bloom, and I doubt there
will be much more rain coming our way after this. Bring on those pre-April
showers!
Sara R. Fogan, C.Ht. is a certified hypnotherapist
based in Southern California. She graduated with honors from the Hypnosis Motivation
Institute in 2005. For more
information about Calminsense Hypnotherapy® and to set up an
appointment, please visit http://www.calminsensehypnotherapy.com/.
© 2016
