Menu Dating

I’ve been working from the great northwest – namely San Francisco and Seattle – most of the past week. If you’ve ever lived in or visited these gorgeous cities, or any others notorious for rain such as Portland, Kauai or London, you can’t help but develop an appreciation for the cleansing power of a good outdoor shower. One minute you are walking through a lovely, dry, sunny day and then often without warning, the sky offers a drizzle which turns into a downpour. Instantly, you are faced with two choices:

1) Run for cover in a frustrated panic. Spin into an aggravated bitching session about it. Wait until the rain is over to move on with your life, while sitting in misery.

2) Pop open your umbrella. Saunter through the waterfall with a smile. Embrace what comes.

Guess which one I choose?

My dad (and every optimist on the planet) says, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” I say, when life hands you rain, look for rainbows. Rain is necessary, both in the literal environment and in your personal environment. It not only washes away the extra layers of dirt, but fertilizes the growing. Cleansing offers an opportunity to see things in a fresh, clear, grime-free light. When the rain is gone and the sun re-awakens, so can your spirit, if you let it. Fertilization is like a nurturing of the soul. Like a plant, we need not only sun, but water too, to help us blossom to our fullest potential.

In life and in love, sometimes rain is predicted and it never comes. Sometimes it is predicted to be a light sprinkle and you get a hurricane or you anticipate a hurricane and get a drizzle. And yet other times you forecast sunshine and are dumbstruck by a tsunami. The point is that you can’t always forecast what kind of weather you are going to get (ever had someone break up with you totally unexpectedly or woke up one morning our of love?). And you can never control it. Funny how that works, huh? You might as well, drink up all of the emotions that come with whatever weather you get, comfortably accepting that it is all falling as it should – to either cleanse or fertilize your ground - and knowing that you can handle all of it.

So the next time you hear rumor of rain, or unexpectedly feel a drop of it hit you on the shoulder, don’t run for cover. Face it head on, heart on… and know that you will be more nourished for having welcomed it. When relationship turbulence hits, welcome it. When job turbulence hits, welcome it. When family turbulence hits. Welcome it. If you retreat... waiting for the sun to come out you lose out on an opportunity to be cleansed and fertilized by the rain. Dance in it, understand its purpose - why it is here NOW and what it can do for you... no matter how dark it might feel. When the sun re-surfaces (which it will - it ALWAYS does!) you will have grown taller, fuller and brighter for having drank up with rain.

Here’s to living a sandal wearing, with an umbrella in your purse kind of life.

Live and love largely,

Tristan