LEARNING TO DANCE IN THE RAIN

As a baseball fan, I find two things that tug at my heart: rally caps and comebacks.  They are often linked, as rabid fans turn their caps inside out as their hometown team’s score falls behind, they are running out of innings, and a loss is imminent.  Of course it’s a superstition, but everybody loves a comeback – especially when our team seems to be playing at a competitive disadvantage.

Now we flip over to real-life considerations.  For many of the hurdles we face in day-to-day living, there are unfortunately no rally caps.  Comebacks from setbacks which seem unlikely may lead to feelings of defeat and resignation.

Have we ever considered that perhaps these are just the circumstances that call for the metaphorical rally cap?!

“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

-The Beekeeper’s Promise by Fiona Valpy

Life is about staying true to what really matters: to love, to loyalty, and to living your life as it’s meant to be lived.  When we are overshadowed by black clouds threatening our personal, professional, health, or emotional plans and threaten to knock us off our chosen path, do we just run for cover?  Or do we try, even if it seems futile, to dance in the rain?

Your life’s best story is a story of ordinary, everyday courage... a story about the determination to stay true to yourself through the darkest times so that when, at last, you cross back to safety you can find your voice again and live your life free from fear. After all, it is about the resilience of the human spirit.

“In the midst of winter, I found that there was within me an invincible summer.

-Retour a Tipasa by Albert Camus

Another weather metaphor… or better said, a “whether” metaphor.  But where do we find that invincible summer?  Do we store the sunshine of the good times to bring it out on demand as clouds form, temperatures drop, skies darken, and we need shelter?  How is that possible?

In my view, resiliency is not so much a character trait as a confidence born of several other character traits, such as humility to depend on others, flexibility to develop or alter strategies, and a belief system in a Higher Power.  The rally cap of the resilient person is the call to partnership with other sources and resources… and the strength from those partners gives us respite, relief, and time to recalibrate.  Granted, the game plan may need to change, but staying the course when we are flailing makes no sense and usually results in a loss. 

If you find yourself at a point in your life where, for reasons which may range from exaggerated self-reliance to lack of confidence in others, you may have neglected other sources of support which may still be readily available.  I urge you to build back that support system by rekindling worthwhile relationships and walking away from those which are toxic.  Strengthen your interior life by assessing your personal value system or faith life.  Practice being flexible by saying “yes” as often as possible.  You will ready yourself for another’s call for help… and answering that call will come easily because you’ve been listening for the rally cry and scanning your crowd for the rally cap. 

Your life has a chance, through this simple exercise, to take on a dimension you have never imagined.  Be ready for joy-filled gatherings, meaningful conversations, and storing up the good graces of those for whom you have shown up, and who will be ready to show up for you.

And oh, Dance in the rain.  I mean it… the next time it rains, go out with intentionality and dance in it.  Splash a puddle.  Get your clothes wet.  Open your mouth and let your tongue feel the drops.  Open your mind to an experience you’d normally have avoided.  You’ll find that whether it’s weather or resistance to resilience, avoiding avoidance may turn your impossibilities into possibilities, and your lonely self-reliance into shared reliance on willing supporters.  I’ll be rooting for you… I’ll even have my rally cap on.