Adulting means spending most of our lives doing something we don’t necessarily love right? Isn’t suffering a prerequisite to being a member of a capitalist society? I had internalized these deep, unconscious beliefs as facts. I don’t think I’m alone.

Summer in Portland is resplendent - green, lush, adventures galore.

When I visited Portland, OR sixteen summers ago, it felt like I had walked right into some secret-modern-urban-fairytale land. A place where artisanal donuts, getting a tattoo, and hiking through a rainforest (complete with creeks, bridges, and ferns) could happen spontaneously on any given afternoon. The memories from that visit encouraged my family to leave the perpetually sunny San Francisco Peninsula in 2019 and plant roots here in PDX in 2020. That and paying $3500/month to rent a 2 bedroom/1 bath home and a shared yard with a practicing end-stage alcoholic who would knock at any hour of the night to talk only in riddles and one-liners.

I love my life here in Portland, Oregon, but when I looked at the weather forecast last Tuesday, my heart sank: starting Saturday, 10 days of rain loomed on a grey and cloudy horizon. It was the official nail in Portland Summer’s coffin.

The next day while in a meeting with 2 other people, I overheard them talking about the fun indoor activities ahead, cozy sweaters, blankets, and beanies. How dare they. These 2 weirdos weren’t dreading the rain, they were looking FORWARD to the change in season. Same information, wildly different response.

I’ve been utilizing the Jivamukti Focus of the Month in my own life and in the yoga classes I teach for quite a while now. September’s focus has been on Santosha, or Contentment, so I’ve been reading about how to practice, share, and cultivate gratitude, acceptance, and contentment in our lives. It’s my favorite Sanskrit word and Niyama but still, I struggle with accepting the things I cannot change (like seasonal weather shifts). What’s different now is how long I stay in the struggle – the time struggling against what is keeps getting shorter and shorter the longer I practice acceptance and gratitude.

Acceptance is the key that unlocks the door to Santosha/Contentment. Gratitude lets me stay awhile, offers me a seat on the couch and throws me a cozy blanket. Yes, Summer in Portland is resplendent - green, lush, adventures galore – but it is only possible BECAUSE of the months and months (and more months) of rain…

So, I’ll cut some of the gorgeous wildflowers from the yard and put them in vases, grab a blanket, and watch the rain pouring down and make peace with what is happening today. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll be grateful for it.