Rainy Days and Rainy Souls.

It's been a while, and I even feel like I'm forcing my hand a little here. It's been raining for the past week. Winter is approaching and days are getting shorter. While there is something dreary about it, there is alternatively something very comforting about it. It almost makes you feel like you've stayed in bed all day. Under the risk of sounding cliche, it made me think, I feel much the same on the inside right now, the same as it looks outside my window. Initially the feelings are unpleasant and hard to handle. You spend your time hoping that the sun will peek through and the rainy days will be only a distant memory. You begin to feel cold and drenched. Soaked to the bone with problems you don't want to face or think about. Realizations that bring up more questions you would rather ignore. The torrents of rain that wash away that top layer of mud and show the rich, or malnourished soil beneath. Too much and your roots are exposed, drowning in flood waters or scorching in the sun. The rain has two sides. We often see it and live in the negative side of it. Problems have much the same effect on us. The rain seeps through the soil, it nourishes the plants, flowing into rivers and streams quenching the thirst of animals and men. We cannot survive without it. It enriches the soil, it grows our crops. Problems often make us better for the ware. We become more well-rounded individuals. The passing of hardships nourish our soul, shaping and forming us into stronger, and more empathetic individuals. They teach us how to get through the next day. They expose to us, and others what we truly are. Sometimes it's a flood, but droughts can be more devastating, leaving our pools shallow. Sometimes it's hard to keep your footing in a down pour; but when the sun comes through, the world is a beautiful place.