If it rains, let it rain. If the wind blows, let it blow. Ikkyu

Do you understand how hard and necessary this is?

I expect we know hard times. Times when the rain blew sideways and the wind howled like a freight train. We felt tossed about and couldn’t see a minute in front of us. We called it overwhelmed, stricken with grief or anxiety, so angry we were ready to explode. It’s not supposed to be this way, we shout. This wasn’t supposed to happen. It’s just not fair.

Maybe you’re right in the middle of it now.

Wind and rain.
Wind and rain.
Beating me down.
Relentless.
Only if I try to get up.
Only if I want the sun to shine.
Only if.

The wisdom from Ikkyu is…let it be. Let it storm, let it rain and blow. Don’t try to make it something it is not. It’s only when we expect it to be different or better that we lose our way. Being in the storm is different than being lost in the storm.

The necessary part is learning to be yourself in the storm. Learning to be okay with yourself. Not having some sort of expectation of yourself. And it’s only necessary if you want to maintain some modicum of sanity, if you don’t want to be dragged around by life as it happens to be. Sometimes it’s really hard and painful and awful. Wisdom says: let life be life. Then we might say: okay, I’ll experience that.

This is what the storm feels like. And everything is temporary.

Maybe I could be kinder and more gentle toward myself.
Paula