Dancing in the Rain

Last week, I came across the following at work; one of those little things you see tagged onto the bottom of emails.  You know, homilies, prayers, cute little sayings, really irritating stuff...well, this one caught my eye and my imagination.

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain".

That's what I've been doing, "waiting for the storm to pass" for the past few years but especially during the past few months!  The phrase bounced around my cranium for a day or two and finally came to a rest in a resolution to change my outlook.  I was in the middle of a drive to Bath Hospital for visiting hours.  I love to drive, maybe because it's something in my life I can control and something I do well, maybe it's simply the freedom of the road, I don't know, but I enjoy driving.  In the last few years each trip has mostly been a means to an end, no pleasure in the drive itself, just something that was necessary.

So, there I was, ready to take the steep winding road that leads to the hospital, Bath City spread out beneath me, nestling in the folds of the surrounding hills.  That was the moment I realised I should be enjoying the experience.  Ok, life throws the bad stuff at you, but that doesn't mean there isn't still good stuff around.  Ok, I need to spend a few weeks going to and from the hospital on top of everything else but I should be taking the opportunity to enjoy it - I should be dancing in the rain!

It's time I started making the most of what I have now instead of wishing things were different or waiting for things to change.  There's not a lot I can do about the present but I can remind myself what I'm capable of...what I have done and therefore what I could do in future and so enjoy the present for what it is, enjoy what I am doing now.

Ten years ago this month I went on my big adventure.  I wanted  more out of life and I decided to not just wait until things improved but go out and get what I wanted.  I handed in my notice at work to spend some time travelling in Alaska and Canada.  It wasn't an epic journey studded with outstanding action or romantic encounters.  It was simply the once-in-a-lifetime trip of an ordinary person who enjoys driving and wants to know what's over the next horizon.

In a few weeks time I'm going to start re-living that period of my life just for the sake of remembering.  In a spirit of sheer self-indulgence I'm going to periodically post the emails I sent home.  This blog will change for a while from random thoughts to a retrospective travelogue.  If this isn't your cup of tea then I'll see you when I get back.  On the other hand, if you'd like a gentle journey then I'd welcome your company, take a seat and sit back, I'll do the driving.