When I was a kid, I was told that life can give you sunny
days and rainy days.
I thought they were talking about the weather.
I thought that by carrying an umbrella, I could shield myself
from any pain that would ever come my way.
I was wrong.
What I didn’t know was that a lot of life can be like a
hurricane.
There are times when the rushing currents sweep up and
overwhelm you.
There are days when the waves leave you battered and bruised
coughing up water
on a sand bar
twenty miles from shore.
Don’t tell me there’s an umbrella strong enough to shield me
from that blast.
I know better.
And I know that sometimes life is like a race.
Where you find yourself prepared to sprint to the finish
line.
Except sometimes it’s not until the starting gun sounds that
you realize you’ve tied your shoelaces together
And you’re running into a nose dive.
Well, I’ve learned something from that too.
You see, when else but when your arms are outstretched to
catch a fall are you able to fully embrace life?
Bruises and all.
And I’ve learned that sometimes you just have to take a minute
and breathe in the moment.
Because how do you know how much air you will need to
breathe to take the plunge into that icy sea called life?
When I was a kid, I was told that it took both rain and sunlight
to make a rainbow.
And while I know they were talking about the weather,
True beauty is born of both as well.
