Weather App

The other day, my husband and I were discussing the weather forecast for that day. I mentioned it was supposed to rain in the morning but stop by the afternoon. He disagreed, stating it was supposed to rain all day. I had my weather app on my phone to back me up, and he had his. So we did a comparison.

As we stood side by side looking at our phones, it became apparent that even though the apps were the same, the forecasts were different. The app on my phone stated the rain would stick around for a few hours in the morning, his showed the rain would last all day. Neither of us understood how that could be, as the apps were the same. We chuckled at modern technology and then went about our business. A few minutes later I started laughing.

After asking me what was so funny I shared my thoughts: what if there was an app that could forecast our mood or temperament for the day? What if I could have an app that would let me know what kind of mood he was going to be in at various times throughout the day and his showed mine?

If I knew, for example, that from three to six his “mood weather” was going to be cloudy and rainy, possibly even storm, would I just say I’ve got errands to run and I’ll see you after six? And if he could tell that the weather indicated a cloudy day ahead for me, would he steer clear also?

While I can see the benefits of having such an app, there can be a down side. I imagine the flip side of knowing what was coming and then choosing to avoid it is that we would lose the benefit of how to handle those cloudy, windy, stormy times in any relationship.

Most every relationship has those moments, and it’s important we learn to navigate the stormy seas so that when they come we don’t sink or drown. If we always bypassed those overcast, turbulent times, how would we learn to compromise, be compassionate or become resilient? We most likely would only tolerate pleasant, sunny weather.

Even though a “mood weather” app could help us avoid some low atmospheric pressure, (and those gray moods of others), I think I’d rather just carry an umbrella.