The Good Found in the Storm

"Life's not about waiting for the storms to pass... it's about learning to dance in the rain."
- Vivian Greene

A co-worker and I were totally amped when we’d made the decision to power walk for 30 minutes of our lunch break.

Excited as ever, I came to work with my walking shoes in tow! So you could only imagine how my smile was turned upside down when we went outside only to find that the rain had already made the decision; we wouldn’t get too much outdoor walking done that day.

But before I could let the rain interrupt my noon-time exercise, I suggested we walked inside the building instead.

My co-worker – a person who has lived in Charlotte for over 6 years and who’s obviously use to the rain – had shown a bit of disappointment at first. But that didn’t last too long. Before we could make it back in the door she said, “Well, it’s good that it’s raining, my yard could really use the attention.”

And that’s when it hit me. It was at that point I had an amazing Ah-Ha moment.

Being a born and raised in Southern California, I can honestly say, I am in no way accustomed to the rain. See, us Californian’s look at the rain as a hassle since it only comes every so often and when it storms, let’s be honest… WE PANICK!

But in the southeastern region of America, most people actually look forward to the rain. You wouldn’t believe the “semi-evil” looks I get from southerners when I “curse” the “bad weather” when it shows up.

See, here, they see the rain as something that is vital to the growth of their surroundings.

And in all honesty, that’s the truth.

Rain may throw a temporary monkey wrench in our day-to-day system, but on a grander scale, it is because of the rain that the flowers bloom, the beautiful trees grow, and we are provided with the water we use to keep ourselves clean and hydrated.

So instead of moping around and complaining about the inconvenience the rain is causing, most southerners look at what “good” they can glean from rainy days.

(This is when my Aha-moment kicked in…)

This same concept can be held as a truth when it comes to us weathering the storms of life as well.

When we go through tough times in life, (storms) sometimes we like to focus on what’s wrong, instead of what can be gained from that particular storm.

We complain about this, and worry about that, instead of stepping back and asking, “What good can I acquire from the stormy state of affairs I’ve found myself in.”

And just like physical rainstorms are vital to the growth of our surroundings, emotional storms can also be moments of essential personal growth that we need to make us better people.

Vivian Greene said it best when he stated, “Life's not about waiting for the storms to pass... it's about learning to dance in the rain.”

So the next time you find yourself in a stormy situation, know that it is ok to feel a little sad at first, but be sure that you don’t stay stuck in this situation for too long or else you’ll miss the good that is to come from your rainy weather.

(The Good Found in the Storm is an expert from my upcoming book “The Human Right of Happiness.” For more information on the Human Right of Happiness, you can visit my website at http://www.humanrightofhappniess.com)

xoxo

Ms. Hite