“Perhaps the safest prediction we can make about the future is that it will surprise us.” George Leonard
Are you a nature lover? How do you spend rainy days? When nature surprises you, does it irritate or delight you?
Sunday was rainy, as is today, and it’s probable that we will have a rainy week. While I appreciate the rain nourishing the earth and aiding the growth of beautiful spring flowers, it may be a challenge at times.
Floods and the subsequent devastation are the worst problems, but even the lack of rain I experienced when I lived in New Mexico was a challenge when the dryness required us to shower only every other day. While there are many things we can control in life, the timing of when it rains is not one of them.
Unpredictable Weather
Sunday, as my husband and I attempted to celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary, Mother Nature was not our friend. The rain’s behavior throughout the day was unpredictable.
After treating ourselves to a delicious breakfast, we headed for a walk around our favorite lake, a home for ducks and geese, before the clouds darkened and the rain fell. It was cloudy at the lake but bits of blue sky showed through the clouds and the darker ones were at a distance so we thought we were safe and didn’t carry our umbrellas.
Walking from the car to the path, we sauntered through a large flock of geese as the males hissed at us for invading their space and bringing our dog along. About three-fourths of the way around, it started to rain and we rushed to the car hoping it would pass quickly, but it didn’t. Resigned to having only a short walk, but grateful we had some time there, we drove home.
At home it wasn’t raining. So when the mail arrived, my husband and our dog went out to retrieve it. Just as they reached the mailbox at the end of the driveway the heavens opened and the rain poured. Fortunately with trees overhead, they made it back to the house without getting soaked. Resigned that it would be a rainy afternoon, we curled up in the family room with our books.
Hope May Lead To Wise Decisions
But hope never dies, and we continued to hope that the rain would clear before dinnertime. We had plans to eat on the terrace of our favorite restaurant, but thirty minutes before our reservation a torrent of rain continued decimating any possibility of an outdoor dinner. I set the table with our nicest silverware and plates and my husband picked up the food at the restaurant.
While the rain replenished the earth, we replenished our bodies with Chicken Marsala, mashed potatoes and spinach, watched an episode of “Poldark,” and confirmed how lucky we were to have each other to love. After all, it’s the love that really matters. It can fill us in any weather.
Our special day was not perfect, but the nourishing rain certainly entertained us with surprises, and afterward more Black-eyed Susan’s bloomed in the garden off the deck.
© 2020 Georganne Spruce
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Happy Anniversary!
Nicely said!