Umbrella Weather

The rain is falling outside my window, the first proof of fall in its chill, dampness; the kind of dampness and chill that pushes inwards, both in your body and your spirit. I can see the drips fall from my tree, hear the puddles squish and splash as the cars drive by on the moisture glistened blacktop. The leaves have leapt from green to gold almost overnight, still clinging desperately, seeming to hope that the impending doom of winter might miss them, not knowing that they are dead already.

Yet even on these dreary branches, some near barren already, lie the seeds of another spring, another year waiting, preparing itself to bring colour once again. There is an eternity to life yet a terminality to it. The emotion of this weather seeps in just as much as the damp coolness. I sit here and think about the coming winter, the cold bleakness, the harsh days. I think about tomorrow.

Sports analogies and stories are unique in their way to help understand. The game is at hand yet we are in the eighth inning. My life has had its three minute warning and I am praying for that Hail Mary pass. I am in the penalty box of life. You pick it; some sport or another has a way of expressing the emotions of my life. They offer the unique combination of a metaphor for life and a parable for living.

Babe Ruth, that great American baseball player, filled the quotations columns for many years with his witty and heartfelt expressions, capturing both the essence of his beloved game and the spirit of the player. He is the one who said; “You just can't beat the person who never gives up.” He is the one who said; “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” He is the one who said; “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.”

I plan on playing this game for a while, rain delayed or other. I plan on going for that one last touchdown. I plan on going until I can go no longer, never giving up and never giving in. I plan on swinging the bat without fear of striking out, reaching for the next home run, keeping on and keeping on. A bit of rain is not going to slow me down. The dampness all round me need not reach into me. I just need an umbrella.