I came out of the office this afternoon and noticed the rain.
In and of itself that’s nothing new. I live in the Pacific Northwest. I often notice the rain.
But today, as I walked to my car, the warm rain falling all around me, I realized I was thankful for the “liquid sunshine” falling all around me. That was something new.
The weekend was spectacular around here–the kind of warm and sunny weather we long for after a wet, dark, and dreary winter–and I spent much of it in my garden. (You can check out my gardening blog, A Grandma’s Garden to see pictures.)
The seeds I planted on Saturday were on my mind today as I watched the rain fall and considered how it would benefit them. I couldn’t help but reflect upon my farming ancestors and how their livelihood and experiences of life depended on what the weather brought.
In a good year, crops and gardens flourished and they profited. In a bad year, and there were many bad years, crops failed, there was little food to eat, and no grain to sell for income. Yet year-by-year, through good and bad, they raised their children, they fell in love, and experienced times of happiness.
I had a conversation with someone today about learning to “go with the flow” in times of uncertainty and how that’s really the only way to weather the storms around us. I suspect my ancestors must have internalized “going with the flow”; they had no choice in many ways.
Sometimes I think part of the reason for our worry and stress is because we think we have too much influence on our circumstances and too many choices to make every day. What if we were dependent solely on the weather to determine if we prospered? We would, of course, realize we had no control or influence on the weather and would have no choice but to learn to take things as they come. We would pray and trust that God would work things out for the best. What if there was only one brand of laundry detergent to choose from, and we made it ourselves? We wouldn’t waste even a second wondering if there was something better. We’d be satisfied and thankful for what we had.
I’m not naive enough to think that the lives of our farming ancestors was easy and that they just accepted their lot without struggle and strife. What I am suggesting is that we may have somethings to learn by considering their lives.
Contentment, gratitude, acceptance, and faith to name just a few.
We say they lived “simpler” lives but we know their lives were anything but simple. I guess it’s about romanticizing the past. Thinking about how hard our ancestors had it makes me so grateful to be living today. Our lives are so easy by comparison. Have a great weekend.