Can cows predict the weather anyway?

Travelling home on the train on Thursday, a very sunny, blue sky, cloudless day, I saw a calf laying down in a field. Not far away a cow, who I assumed was the mother, was stood up - like all the other cows in the field.

It was right then I thought to myself, "When will that calf learn that cows only lay down if it is going to rain?" This thought alone made me think I need to carry a book when I am travelling by train - but given I had another ten minutes left on the journey I allowed myself to ponder further.........

When did I learn that cows can tell me the weather and who taught me it!? I also realised that I don't even know if it is true or what it is based on.

Clearly the person who passed the information on to me was someone I trusted as I had clearly taken the information on board without question - and whilst I accept this weather forecasting method is anything but fool proof, as I have an app like most people to tell me the weather, I realised I had passed this formula of cow in field standing or sitting on to my daughter at some point over the last five years.

This isn't something that particularly bothered me until I considered how many other bits of information I must have gathered over the last 40 years that make up my beliefs without question, but maybe far less helpful than telling me the weather forecast. 

The remaining ten minutes of my train journey passed quickly as I attempted looking out of the same train window at the same view but with a totally different mindset. Considering the train was full made me think that, although the view was the same for all of us, it didn't mean we all saw the same thing based on our differing attitudes. It changed the way I looked at my fellow passengers that day - people I hadn't even noticed until then.

Next time you are in a group of people and can steal some time to reflect take a look around and consider this:-

How differently could the things you see actually look if you changed your belief or attitude to it? Is there an area of your life or work where this different point of view may unlock something special or productive?

And lastly, red sky at night, shepherds delight, but what delights a shepherd when it comes to the weather I am yet to learn......feel free to inform me!