On Mood and Sunshine.

I’ve noticed that when the sun shines, most people only seem to notice the sun. I don’t. I notice the condition of the sky giving rise to the sun. By and large there are three types:

There’s the clear blue sky with no cloud in sight, the mixed sky with mostly static blocks of white cumulus cloud resting easily among the blue, and the grubby grey sky with occasional patches of blue to give sunny periods. Each of them has a different character and produces a different response in me.

The clear blue sky is too hot, too yang, and therefore unbalanced and a little uncomfortable. The grubby grey sky often comes with a fresh breeze and usually produces sharp showers, so it can’t be trusted. The best of them is the middle one; this is the one which produces what we English regard as the perfect summer’s day.

And so my mood is not only influenced by the sunshine itself, but also by the atmospheric conditions behind it. And life is complicated.