It’s raining.
This has been a terribly difficult year, personally with my mom, in public given the election. And yet I’m optimistic. Not in the way of platitudes, the gloss in which civilized people excel. But optimistic when you admit everything’s been awful. Awful with teeth. You face it and fight it and believe anyway.
I believe that people are good. I believe that life is good. I believe this because of the irregular splatting of raindrops and because joy.
Joy. How could joy be so powerful if we were not good? If life were not good?
It’s raining. We had years of drought, and today it’s raining. I believe in the science of climate change. This anecdotal rain is nothing compared to data and yet it gives me hope. People are like that. Our feelings trounce logic. Let’s use our irrationality for good instead of evil.
I don’t even think my optimism is per se “right.” But it’s what I’ve got, so what I’ve got I’ll bring.
Love you all. Have a good weekend.
37 Responses
Life has been bloody hard. It is also rich, deep and profoundly wonderful. Always happy to read your posts, Lisa. I admire your perspective on life in general.
@Shawn Marie, Thank you. And hard, rich, deep, wonderful.
Thanks, Lisa, for your Saturday morning ode to irrational joy. That’s what survivors do — accept what is, move on, and find more reasons to manufacture joy. Because that’s where joy comes from. :) Sending love to you, too.
@Ann, I always feel that joy just seizes me. But perhaps we do make it. And what a gift that is. <3
Yes,there is hope and joy and faith in good!
Luckily, there are people who can find beauty and share it and kindness and optimism could be contagious.
Love,
Dottoressa
Beautiful comments, Shawn Marie and Ann
@dottoressa, If the optimism can catch on among like-minded people, that makes me even more hopeful.
Life has its ups and downs…I have heard it said that we cannot know joy unless we have experienced sorrow.
No one gets through life without a few bumps along the way and I like to seek out beauty in the small things, embracing simple joys in the daily round.
Optimism is a key player in maintaining a healthy mind.
It is raining here too….
it rains a lot here in the Pacific Northwest and I find it can be some what daunting hence my need to look for beauty each day!
@Bungalow Hostess, I can imagine a habit of finding beauty becomes necessary in the face of too much rain!
I like to think I am like you in this respect. It’s all we can do to keep on and find the best in all the small things, even if the big things are crumbling.
But I do find it ironic that (until the middle of the post) I thought the rain was adding to your difficulty. Just shows that everything is about perspective.
@K-Line, Ha! Yes indeed it is:).
So happy it’s raining out there. Weather can bring joy, can’t it? Like the sun shining, and reflecting off the snow in my backyard, and the sound of the ducks on the (still unfrozen) river quacking like there’s no tomorrow. Guess ducks are good at finding joy in the now.
@Sue Burpee, Let us all praise the ducks. I love that image.
Let’s all keep believing our most joyful times are ahead instead of behind, and then make it come true.
@Jane S., Yes. Yes.
It continues to be difficult in the UK too both politically and personally. After an unexpected stay in a French hospital I came out with a greater appreciation of life and a sense of joy that has continued to increase despite various family difficulties.
@Josephine, Oh how tough, going to the hospital in a foreign country! I hope you are fully recovered, and I am happy that you feel joy now.
xoxox.
My heart lifted, reading your post. I love the sound of rain on the roof, even if we had 29 days with rain in October and the ditches are running with rainwater now. I appreciate the times the sun breaks through even more. Yesterday I went for a walk with my partner in the damp weather and watched ducks on the ocean. The wind was cool but I felt joyful. It was as memorable as other times I’ve been on the beach when the breeze was warm.
Thank you for your posts Lisa. I really enjoy them. Thanks too, to all you interesting commenters. I don’t comment often, although I’ve been following this blog for years now.
@Cat, I recognize your name. Thank you so much for reading – the commenters are amazing and I appreciate the talkers and the silent both:).
“They kilt us but they ain’t whupped us yet…”Senator Kaine brought this quote from William Faulkner in his concession speech and I have it on my frig to keep my perspective and humor going…
Joy is there…enthusiasm and hope are also there…Sometimes you have to dig harder and look more to find it…In the rain where its not expected…In keeping on keeping on when you feel like getting under the quilt and hiding…One day at a time..Stay in the present…You ain’t whupped yet..Lucy…smile..
Thanks for the reminder..
@Deede, So I’m starting to think I should call you Ethel! Are you game? Or I’ll be Ethel and you can be Lucy!
Ah, Lisa, your posts are like a breath of fresh air. Life is hard, but there certainly is joy to be found in little things. Just this morning there were hundreds of geese in a field near our house. Just hanging out. Gave us a reason to smile. Keep listening to the rain.
XOXO
@Mary anne, Thank you. “Keep listening to the rain.” I will. Even when it isn’t falling. xox.
Oh, man. This is probably the only comments section I read that actually lowers my blood pressure. What a lot of good vibes running through. Whew! Let it keep raining and snowing on N Cal.
@Kristina, Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain. All cheer civility! And the intelligence of this community! I am so grateful.
BEEN FALLING on and off ALL DAY…….over here in THE EAST BAY!!
!IT actually woke me UP!
Good reason to stay home and CLEAN………….as for positive thinking………THAT IS ALL WE HAVE!
@LA CONTESSA, It is what we’ve got:).
Thank you for taking the long view and reminding us of the yin and yang of life. By connecting with the goodness that you have described and by taking advantage of any opportunities we have to share kindness and joy with others we will be able to take steps towards restoring civility, decency and honor where the founding principles of our nation seem forgotten. Yes, we must be optimistic!
@Scannie4me, I could not have said this better myself. The long view is such a grace.
I think living with optimism is the only way to live. My mom told me to “always find the silver lining” in whatever hardship I may face. It has helped me since I was a young child. (When things are really hard, I do look up into the clouds to see if, indeed, I can find a glimpse of silver.)
I do enjoy your perspective you offer on the variety of subjects you cover. Re: the election & the consequences – – As I’ve been saying to my millennial daughter, the US has been through a Civil War, 2 World Wars, a Great Depression, assassinations, the Race Riots of the ’60s, Kent State, hostages, and more. We’ve had inspiring presidents, smarmy presidents, dull presidents, and lucky presidents. And right now we have an unpredictable president-elect.
What makes this country of ours work, is US-the people. We stand up when things are not right. We pitch in, we raise money, we bring casseroles. We take to the streets (and now social media). We make our voices heard. And that’s a good thing. Is our new president the one I voted for? No. But, he’s the one we’ve got and I think he will be under more scrutiny than any president from the past. Will our country change? Yes. But again, that means our country is a living, breathing entity. Time and perspective will be the true test of whether the horrors of our imagination become a reality.
@Carol, Wow. Thank you for that.
@Carol, This is so true. It is an opportunity for us to remember and stand up for the values of America that have been such a light for so long, even as we continue to shed the attitudes and damages from the painful and dishonorable parts of our history.
Yes. Irrationality for good. . . I’ll claim that. Interesting how separate “joy” can be from “happiness,” isn’t it? How it can erupt unbidden, almost, as long as we’ve somehow kept the channels open. Thanks for this! En-Joy that rain!
@Frances/Materfamilias, “How it can erupt unbidden, almost, as long as we’ve somehow kept the channels open.” Yes. And made space. The sun is shining now, and so gorgeous in the clear sky.
Lisa,
As another long-time reader who hasn’t done much posting over the years, I want you to know how much I have appreciated reading your blog. Thank you.
@Susan M, You are very welcome. And thank you, for the taking the time to let me know. This blog has changed me, and for the better. I owe you one;).
Me too, what everybody else has said. I love your blog and read it always, though I seldom (or maybe never)comment. And the commenters here – they’re just the best. Joy comes right out of the blue, doesn’t it, and often seems like a validation, a love offering, all the more precious when things are tough.
Ah Lisa, I know this feeling. At the end of nearly seven years of drought here in Sydney, I remember answering the phone at work and responding to the “How are you” question with “it’s raining, it’s raining!”. Liquid joy in our dry pacific rim.
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