It's raining.
Given the condition of our lawn and gardens, you could be forgiven for thinking that this fills me with joy.
Wrong.
I am not impressed.
And all I can do is write "I AM NOT IMPRESSED" in big letters on our blackboard and moan on my blog.
Because this weekend we have Son#5's twenty-first birthday party and a line-ful of wet soggy washing doesn't exactly fit with the celebratory theme. I'm not even concerned about trying to clean the house with the rain pouring down or the fact that if I do manage to clean my floors that once guests start arriving I'll wonder why I bothered, but that image of damp washing is really messing with my mind.
I am really not impressed.
Because if I'd been home five minutes earlier I could be folding up a basketful of dry washing right now and be whining about the lot of a woman rather than having a line-ful of soggy washing and be boring my readers with a whinge about the weather.
Right now, I am shamefully aware of just how selfish I really am. I'm concerned with how this has impacted my day/weekend and am even (let's be honest) a little annoyed that my prayer wasn't answered the way I wanted it to be. Any other day, I doubt I would have been quite so unimpressed - but I guess that's the point of such a 'lesson' as this. I've tried to drag up some dregs of patience or humility that must be hidden away deep somewhere in my character but with little success. Perhaps the only things that prevent me from really ranting and raving are one, the image of some farmer or gardener somewhere gleefully welcoming the rain, two, the knowledge that ranting and raving will make no difference and will NOT make me feel better, and three, the conviction that if I did engage in said behaviour my family would have me committed.
But, I'm still not impressed.
(By the way, our puppy has a dry kennel and also a bean bag on our back veranda so the fact that she is sitting out in the rain is not because we are neglectful owners but part of her contrariness!)
However, I must add, the rain did at least show me something for which I am impressed and it wasn't until much later that I even realised (um, perhaps I should learn to count my blessings first before moaning about those things I can't control). Our new roof, while still lacking downpipes, now has gutters, and for the first time in at least a year I did NOT get soaked getting into the house.
So yes, I AM impressed.
Given the condition of our lawn and gardens, you could be forgiven for thinking that this fills me with joy.
Wrong.
All morning at work I watched as the clouds darkened and hoped that I would get home in time to get a line-ful of washing in. I even did the right thing: waited for someone to get back from lunch before leaving, did all my paperwork, and didn't drive dangerously when the cars in front decided to go ever so slowly (why is that always the case?), which all meant that I arrived home a full five minutes after it started to team with rain.
I am not impressed.
And all I can do is write "I AM NOT IMPRESSED" in big letters on our blackboard and moan on my blog.
Because this weekend we have Son#5's twenty-first birthday party and a line-ful of wet soggy washing doesn't exactly fit with the celebratory theme. I'm not even concerned about trying to clean the house with the rain pouring down or the fact that if I do manage to clean my floors that once guests start arriving I'll wonder why I bothered, but that image of damp washing is really messing with my mind.
I am really not impressed.
Because if I'd been home five minutes earlier I could be folding up a basketful of dry washing right now and be whining about the lot of a woman rather than having a line-ful of soggy washing and be boring my readers with a whinge about the weather.
Right now, I am shamefully aware of just how selfish I really am. I'm concerned with how this has impacted my day/weekend and am even (let's be honest) a little annoyed that my prayer wasn't answered the way I wanted it to be. Any other day, I doubt I would have been quite so unimpressed - but I guess that's the point of such a 'lesson' as this. I've tried to drag up some dregs of patience or humility that must be hidden away deep somewhere in my character but with little success. Perhaps the only things that prevent me from really ranting and raving are one, the image of some farmer or gardener somewhere gleefully welcoming the rain, two, the knowledge that ranting and raving will make no difference and will NOT make me feel better, and three, the conviction that if I did engage in said behaviour my family would have me committed.
But, I'm still not impressed.
(By the way, our puppy has a dry kennel and also a bean bag on our back veranda so the fact that she is sitting out in the rain is not because we are neglectful owners but part of her contrariness!)
However, I must add, the rain did at least show me something for which I am impressed and it wasn't until much later that I even realised (um, perhaps I should learn to count my blessings first before moaning about those things I can't control). Our new roof, while still lacking downpipes, now has gutters, and for the first time in at least a year I did NOT get soaked getting into the house.
So yes, I AM impressed.
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