Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Dealing with the Storms of Life: I Hope We Dance

I heard a somewhat cheesy statement years ago, one that perhaps everyone else here has heard already, but I came across it again today and thought I should share it here:

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.  It's about learning to dance in the rain.

When we are going through a "crisis" or "transition" or "trial" of any kind (a "storm of life"), we can rail against the causes of those storms - or we can figure out how to dance in the rain. 

How each of us dances will vary as much as dances vary in the world.  In fact, I dare say there are as many kinds of unique dances than there are unique kinds of storms.  "Enduring" doesn't have to mean "looking down and plodding forward"; it also means "lasting" - as in "enduring love".  

Storms drench those who are not sheltered while the rain falls, but storms also cleanse and clean and purify and provide nourishment.  If we can see what we experience as much in terms of "cleansing, nourishing rain" as we do in terms of a "refiner's fire" (understanding there are both, and not all trials burn as they cleanse - that some are meant to wash things away), we can begin to identify those situations that burn and those situations in which it is possible to dance. 

I hope, as much as possible, we choose to dance.

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