More than usual, it seems, this April has defended its rainy reputation. We have hardly gone 3 days in a row without needing to pack along the umbrella (or canoe). Often I have found this kind of weather to have a pretty significant effect on my mood. The rain confines everyone inside, the skies are dark, and the birds are quiet.
It is sometimes pretty tough to shake these rainy blues. Rain is reflective. (Cue the movie scene of the girl sitting in the window seat watching the melancholy drops stream down the glass, daydreaming of her lost love…) So what are we to do? How are we to keep looking forward when it is so hard to see through the downpour?
I would offer a new perspective. So many times we get so caught up in the first half of the old adage that we forget the end: “April showers…bring May flowers!” I don’t know how much you know about gardening or growing flowers, but take it from this amateur- flowers will not bloom without the rain. It is simple. In order to reap the beauty, sometimes you must endure the storms.
So let’s get practical. Here are some tangible ways we can not only ride out the rainy days, but also use them to make us ready for the sun.
Seed Starters:
Growing up in a gardening family, I am drawn back to the process of preparation. In order to get your plants ready to go in the ground, you must start the seeds inside where you can nurture and care for them with more attentiveness. In this same way, we can not know what is just around the corner. We can not know what is coming tomorrow or next week or even in the next few hours. We can not know, but we can be ready! Take this rainy season to nurture and care for yourself. Create in yourself a firm foundation, a strong sprout, so that when the time comes, you are ready to thrive! Take time to learn yourself, and when the sun does shine on your life, you will be ready and waiting to soak in those rays.
Weeds:
One of easiest ways kill a plant is to let the weeds grow up around it and choke it out. Take this time to get rid of the bad habits or toxic situations or relationships in your life that are suffocating your progress and growth. You can choose what you will let stress you out and slow you down. Choose wisely! If it is not uplifting and drawing you towards a better life, dig it up! Don’t let the “weeds” take hold. Don’t give them space to grow.
Rest:
Much like the idea of starting your seeds, it is a good time now to rest. Rainy days are perfect for renewal. Things may take off in the near future, and you will need all the reserve energy and gumption that you can muster. So store it up now!
You will face some hard times, but how wonderful it is to be able to use those times to prepare yourself for the future and for the good times to come. Above all, like I have said before, be encouraged! It may look bleak now, but look forward to better days. May is coming!
-Emi Cooper, AFW Blogger