I always remember those times after a rain. Our yard was filled with an assortment of mud puddles, and it was time to go out and have some fun. It was without a care in the world in which we began jumping in the puddles. Water was flying everywhere, and it didn’t matter. It was just good clean fun!
What makes jumping in puddles fun may be one of life’s mysteries, but I think it is just the care-free nature of it all. It was done with the spirit of enjoyment, laughing as each leap splashed down. We were blessed with the gift of rain, and it was God’s way of saying “go ahead, have some fun!”
After long drenching rains, certain areas of our farm became extremely muddy. We would put on our knee-high rubber boots and then go do the work needed to be done, rain or shine. Walking and working in these muddy conditions added a layer of challenge and chore. Each step took an extra effort, as the mud quickly closed around our foot and made a gurgling sound as we tried to gain our freedom forward again.
From joy and laughter to hard work and grimacing, mud contains many shades of gray in life. As we age, we seem to be stuck in the mud more often than dancing in the puddles. Life takes effort, but it also takes a spirited view of what we are given.
Although we never know when or how much it will rain, we do know when we are getting too weighed down in life’s mud. We cannot ignore the mud, but we shouldn’t neglect the puddles either. The puddles are calling us to remember the joy of our youthful possibilities.
In living, we need to laugh more often, jumping wildly in joy and opening our soul up with delight and good fun.
In leading, we need to make the effort, wading through the deep situations we encounter. It is about doing the work, both challenging and easy, because leading has it adversities. We need to be the calm, forwarding moving light.
Our mindset needs a little rain once in a while to refresh our outlook and creativity. Go ahead. Dance in the puddles of life! Remember the possibilities along with the effort.
What memory of your youth brings a smile to your face with the joy of possibility?
Love the puddle metaphor! To us, the puddles are when you get stuck in life, and we believe getting stuck in life is good. It means you’re try to change something for the better. And when you do, a.k.a. get unstuck, possibilities (rather than limitations) emerge. We’ve put together a free iPad app called Unstuck to help people figure out why they’re stuck and what to do about it. You can download from iTunes at http://bit.ly/unstuckgift
Really cool! I looked at your site and will take a look at your app this weekend. It looks like a great way to get unstuck and make the most out of life. Thank you!
Great! Thanks for the tweet. Look forward to hearing what you think of the app.
Warm and fuzzy memories from my youth are in short supply, but I have plenty from the point I became a ‘free’ adult. In fact my favorite quote of all is “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about dancing in the rain.”
Love that quote, Marquita! Thanks for adding your perspective and inspiration to this post. Jon