It’s 3:45 pm and it is raining. Like, “cats and dogs, pigs and horses” raining. I waited until the last minute to leave work and pick up my youngest son from preschool because, well, I dread getting soaked! Besides, my day isn’t over. I still have a work meeting to return to, errands to run, dinner to make, kids to bathe… There is still so much to do and getting rained on isn’t part of my ‘To Do’ list. To top things off, I left my umbrella in the car. The odds are NOT in my favor!
Where is my freaking umbrella??
There is nothing convenient about a thunderstorm. Rain brings flooding, lightning topples trees and thunder scares my pup, Bubbles, out of her wits. And it certainly wasn’t my preferred weather experience when I ran out to my car this afternoon. Today’s theme at work was ‘Well-Dressed Wednesday’ but after my impromptu shower, I looked like “Oh Well Wednesday.” I would much rather a pretty Spring day than what I just experienced.
But, isn’t that like life
? We experience thunderstorms in life and wonder, “Where did this come from? I wasn’t ready! And, where is my freaking umbrella?!” Whether it is frustrations at work, feeling overwhelmed by emotions we can’t identify, relationship struggles or depletion due to deficient self-care, we have all had those rainy days. During those moments, it is much easier to focus on the pelting rain than the slight reprieve from the Hades-level Louisiana heat. The discomfort of the moment seems to overwhelm the silver lining sometimes, doesn’t it? However, I wonder how different our lives would be if we chose to embrace and celebrate the beautiful moments that our thunderstorms bring.
As I pull up through the car rider line to pick Ollie up, I noticed that he is standing under the awning, gazing at the darkening sky. He seems so enthralled with the rainfall and gloomy clouds. When the thunder crackled, he jumps then burst into peals of laughter. What is he experiencing that I wasn’t? The same storm that frustrates me brings delight to him. Perhaps, I’ve managed to miss something wonderful about this experience. Instead of running from the past and rushing into the present, I could stop, look, listen, feel, BE PRESENT. As the door opens, his first words are, “Look, Mom, it’s raining!” Then, he splashes in the nearest puddle and hops in.
