Dance in the rain

Spectacular weather and Memorial weekend are a bit of an oxymoron in Idaho. Yet I just had one for the first time in about 9 years and it was Amazing! Sitting by a warm beautiful fire, seeing thousands of stars, watching the little ones excitement as they reel in a fish, gutting those fish cause their dad said they could if Aunt JJ helped them, catching up with friends, and hiking the hill with my daughter niece and sister are some of what made this weekend so wonderful.  Not to mention time to do a whole lot of Nothing!

Many things stood out over the weekend and I would like to share one of those things that relates to many of us. On Saturday I had the opportunity to go on a 4 wheeler ride with my sister, brother, nephew and my friend. The day was beautiful and warm and was starting to threaten rain.  So, like any smart person would do, I took sunglasses to protect my eyes, wore some gloves in case my hands got cold and put on a jacket to keep my upper body dry. After making sure we all had what we "needed", we were off to the mouth of some unknown canyon. Unknown to me at least, and I was excited!

Not 60 seconds after we took off it started to rain.  Imagine that! Five minutes later and that nice, gentle rain turned to hail. I'm not sure if my bare skinned legs were red from cold or sunburn but I do know that they were hurting from the pelting ice balls the size of peas. Not to mention the back of my ears! I was happy I had gloves and a coat though!  Upon a quick stop my sister decided we should turn back and went to tell the boys.  I decided to wait for her instead of returning to camp so she wouldn't be stranded if something happened.

I sat hunched over, my friend covered my ears and I covered my legs while we waited for the storm to pass or my sister to return. After a bit we decided she wasn't coming back, I wasn't ready to quit and the storm had let up to a light rain. So, I did what any girl seeking adventure would do...I went on.  We rode around the muddy hills and got oh so dirty in the slippery mud and gianormous puddles. We explored the paths we thought the others had taken until we decided it was time to return. After one more newly formed lake crossing, we saw the others behind us. We waited, shared stories and returned together, cold and soaking wet but fulfilled.

Life, like this little adventure can toss some crazy stuff at us. It may look ominous and even dump that 10% chance of rain showers, or even hail on us.  That does not mean All is lost. These storms usually only last a moment in comparison to the big picture. They give us time to rest, rethink, refuel and restart if we will allow them to do so. We can even use them to create some fun moments and memories that make us smile when we reflect on them. They give us an opportunity to grow and see where we are at compared to where we have been.

If you are currently in a hail storm in your  life, be patient. Take the time to rest and reflect on the possibilities and choices before you.  Remember to dance in the rain and only take cover when absolutely necessary. Be gentle with yourself and find those "gloves" and "coats" to be grateful for. Treasure the loved ones and friends in your life and remember to look for the rainbow. The storm will pass and you can be better because of it if you choose  too.

If your storm deals with health and fitness, visit us at Mountain View Hospital's Health and Fitness Academy and let us assist you in riding it out and learning to have fun while you do.  It's always better with a buddy! You may get a little dirty but you'll have a great story to tell afterwards. Not to mention, you might just have Fun while your at it.

So go ahead, continuing with last months message, get in and get dirty and see what amazing things just might take place in your life because you Chose To Dance in the Rain!

Until Next Time,
Go BE Great!

Jennifer Saunders
HFA Personal Trainer -ACE
ButtIn Gear
Reiki Energy Therapy
Intuitive Life Coaching