Renewal in Rain

Posted on by Miriam

“The rain washes away the pain,

it washes away the guilt.

It paves the way for something new,

It sets the table for fresh beginnings,

For all of its darkness it renews.”

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Here in Melbourne the weather has been up and down lately. It’s hot for a week or so, then a cool change blows through and the strong winds come, in some places causing havoc and chaos. Then the rains come, like today. It feels a bit like my life at the moment.

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I sometimes feel on top of the world, with the sun shining and I am full of hope and optimism and then the clouds come over and it feels like the sun has been obscured for good.  I have good days where I feel anything is possible and then I wake to bad days, where I feel so full of despair and helplessness.

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Sometimes it’s hard to stay positive and the clouds linger, but I try.  Every day. What good is it to wallow in the rain. Ultimately it doesn’t get me anywhere.  I know that eventually the clouds will pass, that the rain will have done it’s job in renewing my small part of the world and the sun will shine again. And then the journey continues.

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May you have sunshine today in your part of the world and, if the clouds pass over, may they just be the silver lining and a beacon for hope in the future.

I wish you a positive state of mind, love and happiness.

 

56 thoughts on “Renewal in Rain”

  9. I love the rain when I’m inside. I love the sound. And I love the smell after a rainfall during a dry spell. It smells so refreshing. And I feel refreshed.

    You’re lucky it’s summer. It’s winter here in Japan. I’m often feeling cold. At least it’s sunny! That provides good views of Mt. Fuji.

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  16. 6 years ago we moved from dry, sunny Alberta (Canada) to the West coast of BC, in Vancouver to be exact. It rains A LOT HERE! The first fall/winter, I would sit at the window and cry. The weather depressed me soooo much! I wished for no more rain…I got better eventually, and the following years I didn’t complain as much. Last year though was very dry. I got my wish. It barely rained…And in the summer, since everything had been so dry, we had awful forest fires! The worst I have seen! The sky was covered in smoke for days and the sun looked an eerie reddish/pink. There were air quality advisories everywhere. It smelt like smoke everywhere you went. We couldn’t go on the hikes we used to love because roads were closed. It really made me appreciate the rain, the freshness it brings, the air it cleans, the plants it helps to grow. I bought a nice pair of stylish rubber rain boots, a nice coat for the rain, and I am out there for a walk everyday, whether in the sunshine, or in the pouring rain with my children, with our colorful umbrellas, splashing away in all the puddles. I truly appreciate now every single drop of rain and consider it a blessing ❤

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    1. It’s funny what life throws at us, isn’t it. How you can wish for something so desperately and then once you have it, to realise what you had before was exactly what was needed. It’s a bit of a wake up call, whether it’s in nature or something else. I’m so happy that you can now appreciate the rain for what it is, renewing, restoring and replenishing. Enjoy your walks with your children. And thanks for your wonderful comment.

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  17. So simple yet so moving. I think I can appreciate what you mean about the low times and the tumult making way for the sun. It was stormy here yesterday, halfway ’round the world, with unseasonable thunder and lightning, but today, the skies are blue. Wishing you well!

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  18. Miriam: I can’t believe this post because what your saying sounds exactly like me!!! Wow, thank you for saying it. I often feel the same way. It drives me absolutely crazy. I think my big problem is I think too much and tend to dwell. For me, when I’ve gone through really rough patches in my life like when I hated my career years ago, or when I suffered postpartum depression or when my father had cancer (2 years ago and now he is fine!), at least I know what is behind why I feel so moody. However, for some reason I’ve been in a terrible rut this past two months and I have absolutely no comprehension why! I am so incredibly moody.
    Overall, I am a very energetic, optimistic person. I love life. But I do get these ups and downs and sometimes I wonder how much of it is my age? I am 44 and the kids are 9 and 11. I wonder at times if it is a struggle because I am suddenly feeling “old” yet know I’m not. My body hasn’t been cooperating and I’ve been sick a lot with colds the last two months making me feel not my normally youthful self. Plus it has been a cold Minnesota winter!
    Anyway, it is good to hear that someone else understands these confusing feelings of ups and downs. My husband is always even keel yet he doesn’t experience the utter highs that I do (or lows).
    Hope I made some sense!

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    1. I wish you were right here in person, right now so we could sit and chat over a cuppa! So much to say, so much we can relate to. I’ve felt much like you are feeling right now, in so many ways. I’ve just turned 50 and although my life is good, and, like you, I’m energetic and optimistic at the core, I’m also going through a tough time. I don’t know whether it’s a stage in life, personal issues I’m going through or a sense of lack of purpose (with my 2 kids, 15 and 17, growing up) but I’m struggling as well. It is good to know there are others out there like you and I going through the same thing. My husband is like yours, easy going and even keeled, so meeting others in this community has been a godsend. You made perfect sense. Thank you so much for commenting.

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      1. I wish I was there too Miram! I feel like you and I really do have a lot to talk about. I connected to you right away by your posts. 🙂 As for the stage thing, I often wonder if it is some kind of perimenopause thing or just the good old “mid-life crisis” they talk so much about. I quit my job to be a stay at home mom and now the kids are needing me less and less, and I have to reinvent myself. Thankfully I have found blogging and have an amazing community yet I know in the next 5-10 years I will need to do more. Volunteering has really helped as well as soul searching and knowing I’m not alone. I think it is good that we question our life because it is but one precious life and we need to make the most of it! 🙂 For me, the social good blogging and advocacy have really helped and I plan to do more as the kids get older. Who knows maybe I’ll start my own small non-profit or maybe I’ll volunteer a ton. Take care and keep writing! 🙂

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        1. Once again I’m relating to you on every level (though I still don’t know your first name, do tell.) I haven’t worked for the past two years, last year was spent looking for that elusive admin/marketing job with so many interviews that almost landed me the job but that didn’t that I started to question whether I was really meant to go back to work. Again like you my kids are getting more and more independent and so I’ve felt more and more like I’m lacking some purpose. And trying to find my direction. Writing for magazines has been fulfiling and I love traveling but there’s been something missing. I’m still searching but blogging has definitely filled a big gap. I’ve grown to love it and the community around it. I guess all we can do for now is keep writing. And searching. You take care as well. 🙂

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        2. Oh I’m sorry Miriam! I’m Nicole! How long have you blogged for? For me it is going on five years! I’ve met a nice community and have met lots of very good friends at blogging conferences here in the US. It has really been great. I find a lot of people really go over this search especially people who are reflective and thinkers. I’ve done a lot of interviews lately on my blog of new start up companies who provide gifts that give back and have been so inspired to learn that many of them have reached a point in their lives where they want purpose and to define themselves. So they began a new venture. I once read that what is so great about life in the western world is that if you have enough to get by you have the power to reinvent yourself. I found that so brilliant! I personally hope to maybe seek out a life coach to help guide me down the path. There are so many amazing things one can do if we just have the courage. Thanks Miriam for providing a very insightful dialogue! Looking forward to reading your next post. 😀 Nicole

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        3. Hi Nicole, you know until you asked me I hadn’t even thought about when I started blogging. It was late Feb 2015 so it’s been less than a year. It was actually my 15yo son who encouraged me to start, he knows how much writing means to me and how much I love it but I was always unsure about putting it ‘out there’. Writing for magazines somehow seemed so much safer, but I’m now finding this almost more satisfying because of the instant connections I’m making with real readers and writers (like you!) I’m so glad he encouraged me. I love what you said about having the power to reinvent ourselves. It really makes me think about my path and where I’m heading. Doing it alone seems somewhat scary and daunting, particularly if we don’t know what direction we’re heading in, but I guess for now it’s just one step forward! It’s been great having this dialogue Nicole, I agree. Look forward to many more in the future. 🙂

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  19. Also, I love your words “the clouds will pass”. I wrote a long post on another blog with this as the title when I was undergoing severe sadness and despair at my father’s illness. I felt the same way about waking up to despair and not being able to move. Similar to my postpartum depression which was the worst thing I’ve ever gone through in my entire life! Now I know that if any anxiety or darkness soaks into me for no reason (usually that is what happens but only once a year and always out of the blue and unexpected), that the clouds will lift away and I will get thorough it. I think if you have ever gone through depression like I did, you are scared that it will come back. I remember when my son was three months old just crying wondering how I’d ever be me again. I did make it through and whenever things get tough or I get sad for no reason, I remember that I did it and how strong I am! 🙂

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    1. Good for you. You are strong and you have to keep remembering what you’ve gone through. Sometimes we forget and however cliched it might be “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is still so true. Take care. 🙂

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