The rainy year.

"The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains, and the wind is never weary;

The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,

But at every gust the dead leaves fall,

And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;

It rains, and the wind is never weary;

My thoughts still cling to the mouldering Past,

But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,

And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;

Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;

Thy fate is the common fate of all,

Into each life some rain must fall,

Some days must be dark and dreary."

-The Rainy Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It's been over a year since I last updated this blog. For many of us, it's been over a year since we've done a lot of things. In the past year, I've seen exactly one movie in theaters-something I used to do often. Many other and far more unfortunate events have befallen people this year; from loss of jobs to watching loved ones once held dear pass away alone on the other side of plexiglass. We have been exposed to sickness and lies, to corruption and greed on levels that were before unknown-or at least dismissed. 2020 showed us all that very few things in our day to day lives are actually within our control. In fact, you could argue that it has shown us that more things are outside our control than within it. But is that a bad thing? I would say no. I would say no because it has shown us that the truly important things: our attitude, perception, the love we give, and quality of relationships we have are within our control. And I would argue that those are the only things truly worth controlling. Another veil that 2020 pierced was the veil of resilience-we have, all of us risen in the face of trouble and stood firm. We have found new ways of conducting business, education, even therapy. Yet still, the rain continues to fall. In fact, it's raining as I type this now. I like the poem mentioned above because it reminds us that rain is a part of life and that behind even the darkest, most dense rain cloud the sun continues to shine. Take a little time today to find your sunshine; peek behind the clouds and remember there's a smile behind the mask. Focus on what you can control and show gratitude, even if it's just a little, for the rain.