Here comes the rain again....

Picture: http://makehayrainorshine.com/

"Here comes the rain again.... falling on my head like a memory.... 

falling on my head like a new emotion." 

Eurythmics.

I love the rain... I love the feel of it on my face and my hair... I used to walk in the rain during my days at university in Beirut and get soaking wet by the time I reached my dorm or even my class. I did not care about sitting for an hour listening to the professor giving his/her lecture while my clothes were wet. I found it refreshing really. I never carried an umbrella during my time at university...never once. I found it to be restrictive just like a wall or fence and I never took it as being protective.

This video is one of my favorite oldies song (I love Gene Kelly you see)... it is old... granted...but its popularity never fades... I used to sing it while walking in the rain and every time I hear it, I smile... it is so refreshing and just oozes happiness.

The other day while I was attending a Professional Development course on EAL (English as an Additional Language), it started to rain. I was amazed at the different reactions of everyone in the room. I was so excited about it, the pitter patter of it, the smell of it... everything... while the others were not even slightly happy. They were mostly teachers from England or Thailand and therefore had experienced weeks and weeks of just rain and so found it dreary, dull and just simply depressing, which I should add is understandable if you dream of the rare sun. While I, on the other hand, come from a country that rarely sees the rain and when it does arrive it is welcomed with open arms and seen as a blessing no matter how heavy it was or long it lasted. 

Rain, to me, symbolizes a new beginning... one that cleanses the old wrinkly tablet and encourages me to start a new one. It cleanses my surroundings and wipes the dust off the leaves and petals. It washes away tears and bad memories and allows me to rebuild whatever it was that I lost or broke. I love how rain brings about the feeling of hope or of a better day ahead of me. Water is a sign of life, isn't it? Rain can quench the thirst of a dry desert. Seeds germinate and flowers bloom. Rain is such a blessing!

However, I am aware of the darker side to rain... the devastating side to rain.... too much rain.... and hence, too much change is not good either... making continuous drastic changes in my life is not a sound thing to do.... if I continued to run away from whatever it was that was troubling me, wipe everything clean and start anew then I would have no basis from which to work/build from... if I did that all the time, then I should consider myself a coward... if I did that then what kind of a character would I have? 

But....

 If I changed a few things that I did not like, improved the aspects of my life or personality that depressed me or brought me down, and continued to plough through the difficult phases and times,  polishing them instead of wiping them clean, then I would grow into a much stronger person.... making slight changes that would improve my life is a better option than to wipe everything clean... besides, it is those difficult times that make me who I am today... I should cherish them and think of them as a course that I needed to take to train me on how to be stronger and build my character that is forever improving.

Welcome the rain with open arms but use it wisely!