The Dry Times In Life

The return of rain to the drought stricken Midwest has encouraged an explosion of new growth around us. Here at the Chicken Ranch, green has returned to the stems and leaves of plants and bushes. Thin feathery shoots of grass are growing where the ground was recently brown and barren. Some plants that had all but died off are now producing fresh new blooms.

In the garden, the dead brown stems of dill and cilantro are surrounded by a sea of new green starts. Fresh blooms appear on egg plant, cucumber, and tomatoes alike. Spinach and turnip greens are thick and standing tall, and parsley is as fresh as Spring. But it is not Spring. It's nearly Autumn.

All around us there is evidence of the late hour of the season. The corn is almost all harvested. Bean fields are yellow and brown. Trees have lost their summer vivid hue and are now paler and turning to autumn shades. Yet, the plants that were denied, or had interrupted, their usual summer cycle, are now responding heartily to cooler temps and rain. The plants refuse to give up.They seem to be determined to fulfill natures plan, even at this late hour. They seem determined to really live, not just survive. What a lesson for me.

Everyone’s life is different. Some are blessed early in life with all they need to flourish as happy, healthy children and adults. They are in the presence of those who love and cherish them. Their environment fosters growth and stability, and they are able to move forward in life and face the challenges, and goodness, of living. Then, there are those who are not so fortunate.

Sometimes life choices or  pure chance place people in situations, in settings, where the challenges far out weigh the advantages. Some have to struggle through life devoid of the nurturing, encouragement, or healthy atmosphere that makes life livable. Unfulfilled dreams and needs can also depress personal growth. There is such a difference between enjoying the spontaneity, adventure ,or just plain pleasantness in life, and living each day in drudgery, or survival. There is such a difference in waking wondering what new thing the day will bring, or waking wondering what you will need to do to just get through the day. Some folks live a life of emptiness for months, years, even decades, without much hope of change.

Sometimes the things that should bring us joy turn on us, and bring us misery. A dry spell can come upon us, regardless of our station, that threatens to stunt our personal growth and maturity...and our happiness. These times of personal drought can sometimes be long and insufferable.  For some it means years of dealing with sorrow or suffering with no relief in sight. One could just give up, many do. But for those who can just hang on, the rain will one day come.

Some new spark, some new realization, or some return of what was lost, can come and renew the soil we find ourselves in. I was amazed at how the first rain changed the look of life here. Plants and flowers that had been watered artificially, just to keep them alive, really came alive in stature and color after the rain. We kept the plants going here, even when there was no beauty in them, in the hope that the drought would end, or that next year things would be better and a fresh start would come. While there was life, there was hope. And now, even at this late time, the waiting is rewarded.

This year of drought has been a lesson in living for me. When I find myself going through dry times in my life’s experience, when there are times when it is a struggle emotionally just to make it through the day, day after day, I want to remember that it can change. While there is life, any day can bring a new breath of hope, and a fresh new start. As inert or painful as my life may seem during a time of personal drought, I want to press on another day with a face turned to the sky, waiting and watching, believing... that one day the rain will come.