"A Little Rain Must Fall..."

“For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.”

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

When I was young, I hated it when it rained.  I was beyond disappointed that I couldn't go outside. Well, actually, I did NOT want to subjugate myself to getting my clothes and shoes wet.  It bothered me immensely.  This seems ironic, seeing as though I spent a great deal of time and still do spend a great deal of time in the tub!  I digress.  The rain made me feel sad and confined.  I hated feeling restricted.  As a kid, rain signified a lack of freedom.  A free spirit can not be confined.  I was in fact very hard to hold back from just about everything.  I am pretty sure that because of my impetuous nature, my mother was in a continual state of panic.

Since our self-quaratine, social distance, has made me think back to those years as a child.  I was never one to be happy to stay in one place.  Now, my saving grace and my sanity lies in walking three to five, maybe six miles each day, except if it rained.  That all changed today.  For weeks, months, even years, my body has become increasingly happier in movement. When the weather was sunny and warm and the air was clear, I was out moving. Moving the body matters.  Realizing that my body craves movement made me brave the elements today.  I walked...in the rain.

I put on my best rain gear and my best walking shoes and decided to go to one of my favorite parks and walk.  My body, for the first time was dictating what my mind already knew was necessary.  Get outside. See nature.  Embrace the rain.  

I was amazed at how today, the rain became secondary.  With every mile I walked, my body was not troubled by the rain.  I noticed that the robins flying overhead and on the ground looking for tasty treasures, didn't mind either.  It was cool but not too cool.  The rain, I found was NOT holding me back but energizing me.  I heard a dove call out to me.  I walked by the ponds at the park looking for more action from the wildlife.  It was quiet, except for the robins.  It was peaceful.  I walked another two miles, then three, then four.  

I realized today that as a kid, I was sadly mistaken about rain.  Rain is cleansing.  Rain feeds us and nurtures our world in the most astounding ways. Rain is no longer the inconvenience I thought it was as a kid.  Rain is life. I will always love the sun.  The sun energizes us too but in a much different way.  The sun can burn you as well.  Rain in infinite abundance, can be harmful too but only because it has no place to go.  We need to let the rain go places.  It needs freedom or we suffer the consequences. The rain sounds a great deal like me.  

Life Lessons - "Dear "Children of the Universe..."

"My great hope is to laugh as much as I cry; to get my work done and try to love somebody  and have the courage to accept the love in return." - Maya Angelou

Dear "Children of the Universe,"

Quite a year we're all having, wouldn't you agree?  I have been thinking about all of you over the past month and the only thing that comes to my mind is the following:  You are part of history now.   Fifty, sixty years from now, you will have become the storytellers that your parents and grandparents became. Your story is still being written and you must tell it.

When I was your age, I learned about the Great Depression, World War II, Immigration, the Vietnam War, the first walk on the moon and then came September 11, 2001. On 9/11, I remember the tears in my mother's eyes watching the television.  "This is what war looks like, Claudia." She was right. Adults, with their history, have seen more and witnessed more than you and that's precisely why you should listen and find comfort in their experiences. Why? I'll tell you why...because they survived.  They were fortunate. They counted their blessings even when there were few to observe.

Everything that you have known has changed and will look very different once we are in control of this pandemic...an historic pandemic for all of us.  We are no longer a separate entity from the rest of the world.  If you learn nothing, learn that what happens in another part of the world, will definitely impact you. We do not live in isolation. How you choose to behave and how you react today will determine your ability to cope with what life throws at you... and cope you must, if you want to discover all of the miracles that exist...love being the most important.  This is the primary lesson.  How are you going to love?  Who will you love? Will your love and understanding stretch beyond yourself to others?  Will you be kind? Will you be tolerant? Will you show patience with yourself and others?  These are the primary questions to answer because some day, someone will be asking you the same questions and you will have to have the answers.

Your life as you knew it has come to a standstill...temporarily.  But has it really? Your teachers are trying to keep you educated the best way they know how. They've learned a great deal about all of you over the last month and are proud of you.  Never stop learning "Children of the Universe" because that is the ticket to the life you want for yourself.  Don't be complacent or ignore what's in front of you.  Your teachers are worried for your well-being and your education.  So are your parents even if they don't always have the time or the patience to tell you.  Let your education give you sanity, not be the madness. We will help you.  We are on your side even when we knew you weren't on ours. Know this...we are all aware of the fear and the trajectory this specific time in history is creating for you. It's acceptable to be afraid.  It's not acceptable to be hateful or resentful. 

So, how does each generation survive the tragedies of history? What are the blueprints past generations used?  The answer, one has to believe is centered around survival.  What types of heroism, kindness, generosity was generated to make it through those very difficult times?  Mulitple acts of bravery, courage and tenacity furthered our progress even when the progress was bleak.  No one gave up.  Past generations became collective and put aside their differences for the sake of future generations.  There was sacrifice.   There was loss but no one gave up.  That's how you survive a Great Depression, two world wars, racism, civil rights, and put a man on the moon.  What will you do? What are you prepared to do?

We need you. We will need you to take the reigns and project strength. This is your moment to learn new coping skills. Put down your cell phones, your video games.  This is your moment to be better and stronger and wiser.  Some day you will be telling your children what you did during this period in history to survive and become an asset not a hinderance.  You will show them what strength, resilience and hard work is and what it looks like. For now, "Children of the Universe" feel the love out there.  Know that it is quite real and not a figment of your imagination.  

Sincerely,

Claudia King