Rain and Lessons in Contentment

I fully believe that Joy is a choice.  I am currently reading several books that tell me it is not my circumstances that determine my happiness, but the story I tell myself about those circumstances.  I have heard sermons about contentment.  I have lectured at length to my children that complaining will only make them unhappy.  I believe this.

In the last couple days, I got a delightful three-part reminder.

It began on Wednesday morning.  I was doing a quick run to the grocery store.  We had expected an ice storm, but instead we got nasty, cold, heavy, near-freezing rain.

I do not like rain in the winter.  I tend to think how much I would prefer snow.  Rain in winter is almost as cold as snow, but not as pretty, and not as fun.  It soaks into your clothes much more quickly, and doesn’t brighten a dark day like snow does.

As I came out of the grocery store, the thought crossed my mind that it was a shame I had to make a grocery run today.  The thought lingered long enough for me to feel guilty about the negativity.  But I was justified!  After all, loading groceries into the car in the pouring, cold rain is not a fun thing to do.  Ask anyone!

No sooner had that thought crossed my mind than I looked up and saw a mother and son walking toward the store.  The mother had an umbrella, but the little boy, about three years old, wasn’t paying any attention to staying under it.  He was positively dancing with joy at being out in the rain.  His shiny yellow boots splashed the pavement with zest, and you could instantly see how excited he was about this wondrous chance to go shopping in the rain!

Kind of put things in perspective for me!

The next day, a new book by Mo Willems, Are You Ready to Play Outside? came to the library.

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Piggie is so excited about playing outside with Gerald!  They will run!  They will skip!  They will jump!  NOTHING will stop them!

Then it begins to rain.

It pours.  Piggie is NOT a happy pig.

Gerald, an elephant, first tries shielding Piggie with his ear, but it is still raining.  Piggie doesn’t see how anyone could possibly play outside with all this rain.

Then they see two worms come out, exuberantly happy, splishing and splashing in the rain.

They decide to try it.  They run!  They skip!  They jump! 

Piggie decides he loves rain!  He hopes it rains all day!

Then it stops. 

Piggie is not a happy pig.

Fortunately, Piggie has an elephant for a friend, who has a solution.

This book conveys its message far more effectively than any sermon, lecture, or nonfiction book.  Part of the effectiveness is Mo Willems’ brilliant illustrations.  With simple cartoon drawings he makes you feel his characters’ emotions.  I never imagined that worms could look so joyful!  Elephant and Piggie turning somersaults and kicking up their heels in the rain proclaim complete exuberance.  You don’t just read about Piggie’s frustration turned to joy.  You experience it!

Last night, I brought the book home and showed it to my son.  I told him about seeing the little boy in the rain.  Gerald and Piggie dancing in the rain reminded me very much of that little boy in his yellow boots.

I think of Are You Ready to Play Outside? as a metaphor for life itself.  After all, I reflected, at this time of my life, I am single, not by my own choice.  I can spend my time moping about how I wish it would stop “raining” or I can skip and jump and dance in the rain.

Isn’t it true that people like Piggie who are unhappy in the rain tend to be the exact same people who are unhappy when it stops?

Later, I was e-mailing friends about the Inaugural Parade, in which my husband will be marching.  Even though he left me and has told me he wants nothing to do with me, I find myself feeling proud and excited that he’s going to take part in this historic event.  Someone sent me a link to an inaugural website, and from there I went to an Air Force page and found a story about the Air Force Band.  Apparently, they are supplementing the main DC band with musicians from several field bands for one big 99-member band for the parade, which is why my husband and several other Air Force musicians I know all get to participate.

What I didn’t realize is that they are already in the DC area.  My son had mentioned that his Dad was going to be practicing 8 days for the parade, but I didn’t realize it had already begun.  In fact, according to the article, the whole group began practicing this past Wednesday — in the pouring, cold, nasty, near-freezing rain.

I would be ashamed to report that this simple fact gave me a certain satisfaction.  I would be ashamed to say that the very nasty, cold, and unpleasant aspects of that rain now filled me with a certain unreasonable delight.

So I will simply say this.  The next time I am caught in a cold and nasty downpour, I will reflect that it could be worse.  I could have to practice marching in it.

8 comments

  1. I have been laughing out loud reading this! In fact, I’m at a loss for words. Wow. Hilarious!

  2. It takes effort, but not much, to see the silver lining of every cloud. Rain is a beautiful thing, not always convenient, but beautiful and life giving. Next puddle you see, splash your foot into it… your other leg will dry eventual and meanwhile you’ve had a dose of joy 🙂

  3. Excellent perspective on the positive side of things! I hope to share this with my wife, I’m sure it will perk her up just as it did me. Thanks for sharing.

  4. It’s good you watch children. You need to be around more young children to remind you of the joys of life.

    I like well behaved children. The wild ones get on my nerves. I suppose I wouldn’t mind watching some dumb kid playing in the rain and thanking God he’s not my kid.

  5. Come on Pam, can’t you remember being a kid yourself? And how much fun it was to wear boots and SPLASH!

    Honestly, I think I noticed it especially because I had a baby program at the library the next day. Baby programs are the best way to interact with little ones — They smile at you and play with you, but their parents are in the room the whole time and take them away if they cry! Best of all, they leave after about an hour! Just a nice little dose of little kid joy.

    Actually, the kid I saw wasn’t really “playing in the rain.” He was just walking to the grocery store with his Mom. But you could instantly see that he thought walking to the grocery store in the rain was a wonderful, wonderful adventure! Which was NOT what I had been thinking!

  6. The cosmos have a way of giving people what they deserve, good or bad. I believe if you continue doing good that eventually it will come back to you.

    One of our staff members is an exuberant black man with a zest for life. In September he went to the doctor and found out that he had stage four inoperable throat cancer. Instead of being devastated, he looked at it as an opportunity to share his faith with the rest of the faculty and staff. He actually spoke up in faculty meeting and said, “I don’t know why God gave me this trial, but I believe He will cure me completely.”

    Now you have to understand the make up of our faculty. Curmudgeons is the word that comes to mind. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not bad people for the most part, but I know I would never have the guts to mention God in a faculty meeting. But this man’s faith is so strong and so pure, that he truly had an impact on this bunch of unbelievers.

    Well, the upshot of it is that after three months of chemo, his tumor has shrunk. He no longer has to have the chemo, but is now being treated with medicine instead. At faculty meeting this afternoon, we’re having cake to celebrate!

    From this lesson I learned to stop whinning and believe. My troubles are nothing compared to this.

    Have a great day,
    JoAnne

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