When the Rain Fell Hard

How Past Hardships Can Shape Present Joy

I had recently been walking around in the rain on a 41-degree February work day. It was the kind of day when the rain would just not stop. And to be honest, I had not thought that much about the cold and rain throughout the day. With my job, I am in and out of offices all day and I have gotten used to the wildly variable Indiana weather. But as I neared the end of the workday, I walked out of the last office and directly into the pouring rain toward my car. 

In that split second, I almost grumbled in frustration about the cold and wet. 

But I caught myself. 

I’m always amazed at how many thoughts and questions can go through a person’s head in just a fraction of a second.

Why am I frustrated?

Why am I frustrated with the rain and cold?

Why am I frustrated when I will be in my car in 15 seconds?

The quick succession of questions immediately took me back to one of the most emotionally difficult days on our 2014 Alaskan backpacking trek from Stony Creek to the Toklat River in Denali National Park. It was our third day, and we were covering eight miles of rough terrain, all without trails, fighting miles of alder and tussock. The rain was unrelenting, pounding us in the cool, 40-degree wind. There was not a single dry place along the entire route for a short reprieve, not even for a short, dry lunch break. We were in the unforgiving heart of Alaska, out in the wide open, completely exposed to the elements. And we had to deal with it because there wasn’t anywhere else to go. 

I snapped back into the present, still walking through the parking lot. That quick memory of Alaska made me smile. Within seconds, I was laughing audibly, like a crazy man who had just lost his mind, thinking of my relatively insignificant present inconvenience. The joy of unlocking my door, getting into my dry car, and turning on the heat eviscerated my frustration before it fully manifested. I was immediately thankful.

Question

How often do you let your circumstances cloud your perspective on what truly matters, and how can you shift your mindset to gratitude in those moments?

Peace,

Brandon

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