Are You Dancing in the Rain, or Just Getting Wet?
One of my favorite quotes, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass…it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” I think most people have a favorite quote or quotes, or at least STEER towards certain meanings within quotes and think to themselves, “I like that” “I get what that quote is saying”, or “that’s my life right there”. Right? Sometimes the quote may be funny, or sad, sum your life up in those few words. But when it SPEAKS to you . . . really speaks to your heart in a way that you draw strength or hope from it . . . now that’s POWER in words!
That’s what this quote does for me. It serves as a way for me to draw STRENGTH, to try to think about things in a positive rather than negative way. There’s always a choice isn’t there? Take the bull by the horns or just let it run over you? There’s a CHOICE. That’s what I get from this quote, the choice to dance in the rain instead of just standing there getting wet.
When I think about dancing in the rain, it takes me back to my childhood when that is literally what I did. Oh to be a kid again. Carefree. Simple times. Well, maybe not so simple. Coming from a home where my parents divorced makes things COMPLICATED. It always does. Feelings of being unloved, or the cause of the divorce, or feeling like a rope in a mental tug-of-war battle. Dealing with loss of a brother, then as an adult becoming overcome and wrapped in the blanket of sorrow with the loss of my daughter. I never quite understood how my mom felt until I went through it myself. We are alike in many ways - as my husband tells me frequently - but the one thing that I see as being so different is HOW we danced. Not physically, although she was quite the dancer and I’d say I got my skills from her. I’m talking about how we DANCED - or didn’t dance - in the rain, no the storms, of life. I didn’t metaphorically see her dance in the rain. I saw her standing in the pouring rain of life getting wet - almost drenched at times. I draw real strength and HOPE from this quote. We have a choice and I choose to dance. That doesn’t mean I don’t get wet, but I strive to have a more childlike SPIRIT of “who cares, leave me alone, rain may make me wet but I’m still going to dance”. Think about it. When was the last time you just stood in the pouring rain, head held high, eyes closed tight, and let the raindrops fall on your face, down your cheek. You’re standing there soaking wet and maybe a little cold. And then . . . you dance! What a thought, right? Almost an outer-body experience.
But aside from the physically standing in the rain and letting that foot tapping turn into an all-out twirling, hopping, free-form dance . . . what about when the rain turns into a STORM? Rain is a good thing, but too much of it, or anything, can become overwhelming. Sometimes a storm comes up. I do love a good storm! I know they scare some people - and dogs, but there’s something calming about it. Unless, that is, it’s not an actual storm outside my window, but a storm in my LIFE. We ALL have them. Do you wait for that storm to pass and just hope that everything gets better, or do you metaphorically choose to dance in the rain? You know, make the MOST of the situation and choose to think as positively as possible.
We all encounter storms in our lives. Nobody is immune to them. But how we RESPOND to those storms . . . well that’s our choice. Completely. TOTALLY. Nobody can force you to stand in the rain and get soaking wet. Nobody can force you to dance in the storm or rainfall of life. There always has been and always will be storms. But there also always has been and always will be bright, sunny, warm days. We have to take the good with the bad, the sunshine with the rain. Unless we experience the rain and storms, we can’t fully APPRECIATE the sunshine.
My friends, don’t let life’s storms, the circumstances you find yourself in, leave you all cold and wet. CHOOSE to think positive. Look for the rainbow when the storm is over - it WILL be there. But in the meantime, try to take the opportunity to just DANCE in the midst of the chaos of life. Focus on what you are LEARNING about each storm. What is the best DANCE for what you are encountering? A tap dance (loud and happy), a line dance (a joyful, collaborative dance), maybe even a break dance (an energetic, powerful dance having others in awe). Whatever it is, it's a RELEASE to communicate our feelings and experiences. A way to express our emotions and unleash our energy. But I’d say it’s almost always, cheerful, joyful . . . UPBEAT. But how can you be those things through storms? MINDSET. Choose to see the glass half full instead of half empty.
My friends, it will rain, it will storm. But there will also be many, many beautiful, clear, bright sunshiny days. EMBRACE them all, for they make you who you are.
Do you see someone standing in the rain, hypnotized by their circumstances, unable to dance? What can you do? Hand them an umbrella! Then SHOW them how to DANCE!
