Embracing the Rainstorms with a Good Pair of Rain Boots

We can’t a lot of control outcomes in our lives. No wearing of shorts and flip-flops will make December weather magically change. But we can learn to love wearing sweaters and jackets and rain boots with pizazz.

I typically start my morning scrolling through my New York Times app and Dark Sky weather apps, and this morning, I was thrilled. Not because of anything in particular positive was in the news. Goodness knows that’s a very rare treat these days, eh? No, I was thrilled because I saw that the weather forecast said there was a 37% chance of rain today and that it would only reach mid 70s.

The curious thing about my excitement in seeing the more moderate slightly rainy weather is that, come January, I’d imagine I’ll have the opposite reason to be excited. After a couple of months of rainy days and cloudy skies and jacket wearing temperatures, I’m usually very ready for a sunny day.

This time of the year particularly, every rain storm seems like a blessing because it means that communities that are currently evacuated will be able to return home that much faster and the wildfires that threaten homes and beloved landscapes can be addressed that much sooner. The air can become more breathable. And trails once again hike-able.

But what is that makes me excited for changes in the weather from hot sunny days to cooler wetter weather in the fall and long for dry and warmer weather in winter? I think probably comes down to seeing the positive sides to change. It’s such an over used statement that change is hard. But I feel like that statement really lacks nuance.

Sometimes we long for change. Sometimes change can’t come soon enough. Sometimes change be an answer to prayers and hopes. At other times, changes don’t come when we most desperately hope for them. I think about seeing a family member deal with a debilitating illness. We so long for a change, but sometimes it doesn’t come. So how can we look forward to changes and the lack of changes?

I guess that’s one of the life lessons we all need to strive to learn throughout our life—to be willing to accept what may come from life and love it just the same. But it seems like one way we can make steps in this direction is to 1) focus on the good that comes into our lives whether that is a new rainstorm when we feel like we need rain or when we face a hot stretch. 2) Recognize that there are multiple perspectives to look at anything. A rainstorm could be a godsend to a farmer and trigger a fall back plan for a wedding planner. And 3) Try to make our situation as positive as we can when we realize we can’t control outcomes anyway. No wearing of shorts and flip-flops will make December weather magically change. But we can learn to love wearing sweaters or jackets.