Grin and Bear It

In the Pacific Northwest, one could say, we get our fair share of rain. Recently, though, it has been a bit much. During December and the first two weeks of January, we received over twelve inches of miserable, cold rain. To put this into perspective, a normal wet month would bring us around four inches of the soggy mess. Those six weeks were followed by a week of dismal, freezing fog, which is not normal here. Now the rain has returned bringing with it unending shades of grey. Ah, winter.

This morning, as I was waking, I listened to the relaxing sounds of rain tap, tap, tapping ever harder on the roof of my home. Once I was up and about, I grabbed a bite to eat, donned my rainy running gear and hit the road⎯time to grin and bear it! Listening to the sounds around me, while staying warm and dry in my gear, I stirred to the rainy mood of the day. Being outside, rain or shine, fully energizes me and helps me set pace with the day ahead. But, rainy days create a rhythm that ebbs and flows to the mood of the rain. As I run, my steps take up this rhythm. It seems of particular importance to move through these rainy days with the rhythm rather than fighting it. By doing this, I find the rain slows me, calms me and creates a sense of peace. Within this peace I find motivation, control and new found energy. It helps me move beyond these wet, unending shades of grey.

As if I haven’t had enough rain lately, while I am writing this post, I am listening to rainymood.com. It plays a soft, gentle rain in the background with rolling thunder. It too has an ebb and flow. I know, weird, right? No, not really. I am moving with the rhythm of my day; after all, I am a northwest girl through and through⎯all grinning aside. Now, come on, put on your raincoat, hood up, and let’s go…

Through my window photo courtesy of Sue