A Little Rain

It was a gloomy overcast day. The clouds loomed and the air was charged with the feeling of a storm. I could literally feel it in my bones. I’d been to town twice and had yet to get anything that felt productive accomplished. Finally, I managed to get changed and get to the garden, ready to weed out some overgrown rows.

Then it rained.

I was beyond frustrated. My plans were askew, and the rain that hadn’t been in the forecast threw off my groove. I couldn’t film when it was raining, or get into the garden. So, instead of finding something else to do, I sat on my bed and listened to a podcast. As is often the case in my life, I let one thing or another totally derail my day, blocking me from any semblance of balance or productivity. This day was no different. Until the rain began to clear and the sun emerged, I was unable to proceed.

Fortunately for me, it was only a brief shower, and the sky was soon clear of impending drops. I sulked back to the garden, expecting to mar up in the mud, unable to get to the rows of peppers.

But, oh boy, was I wrong.

The rain hadn’t been as much or as heavy as it had seemed, and the ground was solid enough to stand on. The most important thing, however, was because of the rain, the weeds were easier to pull. The rain softened up our hard clay ground, making the clusters of grass and weeds easy to yank up out of the earth, roots and all.

This reminded me of my life, to be honest, and as cheesy as that sounds. No matter what I set out to do and how well I plan for it, there are things outside of my control that will directly or indirectly impact my day. It may feel frustrating and suffocating to think of it that way, that there are some things outside of our realm of control and decision making. Things that will impact US instead, for better or worse. But I’ve come to see it differently, though it is a lesson I continually relearn.

We have direct charge of our actions and reactions. That is all. Not of other people, the weather, transport delays, flat tires, late deliveries, any amount of big or small inconvenience. And that is immensely liberating! Imagine having to constantly be aware of everything all at the same time, making decisions beyond our understanding, being in charge of an ecosystem, or, worse yet, having stewardship over other people’s opinions and behaviours.

That sounds like a perfect nightmare.

When all is said and done, when the rain comes and dashes your dreams of sunny skies, have patience. Wait until the sky clears. There are plenty of things you can do to fill the time.

Because, when the rain is gone, the weeds are a great deal easier to pull out.