I remember the long car rides as a kid
Where the rain was pouring down so hard
Seeing anything at all was nearly impossible
This heavy rain used to make my anxiety spark to life
What happens if it never stops?
How will I survive if it keeps coming down forever?
So for however long that water fell from the sky
I’d sit there and worry
Worry about everything from drowning
To not being able to find my way home in its chaos
Always, eventually, the rain came to a slow sprinkle
And then it stopped all together
The sun broke the clouds
And the birds sang their songs
Imagine my relief all of the hundreds of times
I’d experienced this as a kid
Only now have I seen the truth behind the rain
I’ve found the lesson in the mud
It will always slow down
All of the nasty things you experience
The things that forbid you from feeling anything positive
Or blind you from seeing that next step
They never last
Certain things in life have to run their course
You can sit and mourn in the thick of it
Though that certainly won’t speed up the process
So why not simply change your perspective
Go dance in the rain
Laugh in its face while you stomp and kick through the puddles
Show it just how resilient you are
Before you even realize it
The only water falling from the sky
Will be the dripping of your wet clothes
And the droplets off the green leaves
You’ll be glad for it all
And you’ll be a little stronger too
-Kelsi
