Rain- Learning to Dance in it

Winter is upon the nation, cold rain, stormy winds, the inconvenience of it all, but the necessity of it all… the world needs water and so the world needs rain.  As I write, I hear it pelting the roof of my office and I wonder if people are depressed by it or inspired by it. Does it make folks more industrious huddled in their warm places, working away? Or do they cocoon up and find ways to avoid work immersed in a mood matched only by the dark clouds?   

Post World War two, America was coming out of a dark cloud and “Singing in the Rain,” a 1952 musical romantic comedy, was part of the emotional recovery.  Three stars portraying performers caught up in the transition from silent films to "talkies" demonstrate a larger  cultural shift in the country, depicting optimism, rebirth and joy. The rain is a metaphor for Don, the main character’s emotional state, frustrated and downcast. Yet, he works though it only to jump in puddles and dance in the rain… finding joy and happiness in the face of adversity.

One rainy afternoon not long ago I was transfixed by my two-year-old grandson who insisted on going out one rainy morning on his quest to find the sloppiest, muddiest puddle he could find, only to jump and smash down on one with his galoshes. Fascinating! In his funny little way, he was learning so much! First, how many puddles he could jump in before becoming drenched and cold, but probably most important, how to make the best of a perceived bad situation.  And, I only say perceived because if you have been living through a drought as Californians often do, rain is welcome and not an inconvenience. Not just too much at one time please!   The rainy season is also a time to collect yourself, to be patient with yourself and others, because nothing blooms all year. From Acts, 17 “Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

This grandson becomes so wet and covered with mud, he is now near unrecognizable. Underneath all that mud are two big eyes as radiant at the sun,

 
looking up at me as if to say, “Thank You, I am filled with such joy!”  So, I suppose the message this week is if you are feeling glum because of the rain, don’t go jump in a lake! Go buy yourself some cute galoshes and seek out the best and wettest mud puddle you can find and jump in that!