Truth in Fiction: Enjoying Weather

One of fiction's greatest strengths is its ability to comment on life in the form of story. This is what my Truth in Fiction blog post series is all about.

Today's #TruthInFiction is an observation about weather, made in the book That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis.

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“Don't you like a rather foggy day in a wood in autumn? You'll find we shall be perfectly warm sitting in the car."

Jane said she'd never heard of anyone liking fogs before but she didn't mind trying. All three got in.

"That's why Camilla and I got married, "said Denniston as they drove off. "We both like Weather. Not this or that kind of weather, but just Weather. It's a useful taste if one lives in England."

"How ever did you learn to do that, Mr. Denniston?" said Jane. "I don't think I should ever learn to like rain and snow."

"It's the other way round," said Denniston. "Everyone begins as a child by liking Weather. You learn the art of disliking it as you grow up. Have you noticed it on a snowy day? The grown-ups are all going about with long faces, but look at the children - and the dogs? They know what snow's made for."

"I'm sure I hated wet days as a child," said Jane.
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"That's because the grown-ups kept you in," said Camilla. "Any child loves rain if it's allowed to go out and paddle about in it.”

When I first read this passage, it struck me forcefully as being extremely true.

I live in Vermont. When winter lasts from October to May, you get pretty tired of it. But I noticed years ago that the adults who despise winter are those who only see the ugly side of it: the terrible driving conditions, the drab gray snow at the edges of the road, the weak and trembling light. They're not the ones who go out and enjoy it.

When I began downhill skiing six years ago, winter became something to look forward to. The rush of wind by my face, the Narnia-like view from the top of the mountain, the burn of exercise and delight of speed... It's invigorating. It makes every long winter day somehow seem like a promise of good things to come.

The same goes for rain. This past autumn, after a day that seemed far too long and difficult, I walked straight out my front door into a crisp rain and stood for several minutes, breathing the scent of rain and feeling the delicious tingle of each drop on my arms and face. There are few sensations so pleasant as this one.

(I recently learned a new word: pluviophile. It means"rain-lover.")

C. S. Lewis was right, and his fiction showed it. Find ways to enjoy the unique opportunities of each type of weather, and you will always have something to look forward to.