I don’t know what the weather is like where you live, but it can’t make up its mind here in Tennessee. One day it’s warm and beautiful. The next, it’s chilly and gray.
Last week, we had a string of moderate days and that lulled me into thinking the storms were behind us. In fact, it was nice enough outside when I left my house that I left my umbrella and coat behind, confident I wouldn’t need them.
I made a quick stop for some takeout on my way in to write and by the time I got back in my car, the clouds were turning darker. I started to wonder if I’d made a mistake. Five minutes later, there was no doubt – I had. By the time I got to my office, it was raining one of those icy, cold sleets that stops all traffic, but robs you of a snowman.
I parked my car and fixed my eyes on the front door about 25 or 30 yards away from me. “Ugh. I’m gonna get soaked. This is going to be miserable”, I thought to myself. My goal in life became to get through it as fast as humanly possible.
I grabbed my computer bag and in one swift move, I was out the door and running as fast as I could. I’m laughing at myself in this moment because once I got inside, I remember pride welling up inside me, like I’d been as efficient as possible. Cold, yes – a little wet, sure – but no one else would do better in the same circumstance. Good job, Chance.
That’s when I realized I’d left my lunch sitting in the floorboard.
Really?! Dang. I stood by the wall of windows, looking out to my car, devising a plan. The rain grew stronger at that very moment, as if to mock me. Okay – run to this side of that tree and go to the passenger door instead of the driver door. Get your keys out now, so you can unlock it before you get there. Head down, run fast, GO!
You should have seen me. It was beautiful. I almost didn’t notice the fact that I was being pelted in the face by shards of ice. Opening the passenger door, I grabbed my food and turned on a dime. Never stopping, I slammed the door behind me, but I could tell by the sound that something was wrong. I looked back and saw the seatbelt caught in the door jam. Nice…
I ran back again, fixed the seatbelt, closed the door and sprinted back inside. My hair was sopping wet. Water soaked through my clothes. I was shivering and cold. “At least I have my lunch”, I told myself. I hopped on the elevator and was soon at my desk. I thought I’d make use of the time while I ate by catching up on some emails. I pulled out my computer and opened it up…only to discover that the battery was low and would soon die.
No problem. I brought my power cord with me. Now where is it exactly? Oh yeah…in the console of my car.
Seriously? You’ve got to be kidding me…just when I’d dried off and warmed up, I had to do it all over again.
As I headed back into the cold and sleet for the third time, I heard the lesson spilling from my own mouth. “If you hadn’t been in such a rush to get out of the rain, you wouldn’t have had to spend so much time in it.
It was true in that moment and in the days since, I’m realizing more and more how it shows up in the rest of our lives. Too often, we extend our hard times by getting in our own way – reacting too quickly – with little consideration of what’s around us and ahead. We panic and run, with no plan beyond getting out of the rain.
But life has a way of leading us back again and again until the pieces are picked up and the lessons are learned. The very moment we get ourselves dried off and warmed up, we find ourselves headed back out into the cold.
What if we saw the rain as our cue to slow down and truly consider our situation?
Is there something to do – a lesson to learn – a message to hear?
What if we sought to understand them more quickly?
Could we spare ourselves some time in the storm?
If we weren’t in such a rush to get out of the rain, maybe we wouldn’t have to spend so much time in it.
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The rain is a great refresher for me. Whenever it is raining I see everyone rushing to their cars to go home, I enjoy the rain pouring down on me as I slowly walk my way allowing everyone to run past me.
Rain is what makes the sun feel so nice on those warm days, so we might as well enjoy the rain for what it offers as well!
Love this one. Difficult situations require deliberate navigation, not just a band-aid treatment and a glance at the time clock to hope that you’re done or that they become irrelevant. They may very well make themselves far more relevant than you ever thought they could be (with big gnashing sharp teeth!)
Ahhhh Chance…….you are something!!! I am so glad you are part of my life.
WOW! This is so well written. I can see what you walked (ran) through in my mind. Thank you for writing. Please keep writing.
I absolutely love this post! It brought me a chuckle and a great lesson in life. Thanks Chance.
Once again, great article Chance. Thank you for making us all stop and think about how we respond to the “rain” in our lives. Blessings to you today.
Chance,
Are you certain you’re not in Texas?
Seriously, I hate being in storms. Even when I’m safe indoors, my mind gravitates toward those who aren’t, and I’m compelled to pray.
When I’m stuck outside to weather my own storms, I hope they’re doing the same for me.
Hope it won’t be long before you’ve got warmer temps and bright skies. :)
femmeflashpoint
What is it about the ‘rain’ the incapacitates the ability to think rationally, recognize the situation and allow experience to remind us of what to do, especially when you’ve been there before! instead, you find yourself standing there soaking wet and thinking.. D’OH!
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt (figuratively, of course). Great post Chance. It applies to me many times as I will sit here and try to think of the ‘best’ way to tackle an issue when I would be done much quicker if I would just do it. Thanks for the reminder and the laugh. It is always good to laugh at ourselves and learn.
This started my sunny morning off with a real laugh (mostly at myself!). When we’re in one of these moments there’s not much funny about it. But learning to laugh at yourself certainly helps. This is one of those, “God has a sense of humor” stories.
I too, am laughing as I read this. Such a well spoken truth today. Reminding myself to slow down & listen to the truth. It will set us free. Thank you.
Chance, I had to laugh at this post. And I wasn’t laughing at you, but at myself. Because this post could have been written about me except for one thing. Instead of running out 3x, I would probably have had to go back and forth about 6x.
Love the pearls of wisdom in this lesson. Of course, one more: learn to ask for an umbrella. It’s OK. :)