I'm a nervous person. Anyone that knows me is well aware of this fact. On a good day, I can find a reason to worry over just about anything. Regarding this week in particular, the stress at hand was work-related. I was furiously working day in and day out to prepare material for several presentations I was to give in front of my coworkers, and internally, tensions were running high. I was desperate for some sort of relief, but no matter what I did to try and distract myself, the impending weight of the meeting bore down upon me ceaselessly.
Then, rather unexpectedly, I chose to join a good friend of mine for an impromptu lunch. I thought going out and getting off campus and away from my troubles would lessen my unease. And, evidently, it did, but not in the way I expected. Traveling on foot to a local KFC, my cohort and I were suddenly awash in an unforgiving downpour. Things were manageable for a while, but all it took was a tremendous puddle and one ambivalent Subaru to completely cover us in the mud-tinged slurry that had formed from the rainfall. Thankfully my phone was spared the man-made tidal wave, but my face, jacket, and other personal surfaces were not so fortunate.
Eventually we did arrive at our poultry pit-stop, and, for a time, enjoyed a brief and well insulated reprieve. After our mostly serene meal, we once more made a mad dash through the ceaseless tempest. Having recently become puddle fodder, I was fairly confident that the situation could not get worse; as usual, I was mistaken. The subsequent wind and hail proved as unpredictable as it did inhospitable. The elements were flying about so violently I found myself holding my umbrella out in front me as opposed to above me.
However, this isn't a piece about my poor timing with the weather. As I walked through that frigid vortex, I found myself experiencing a moment of clarity. Whilst deflecting ice shards and the occasional stray pebble, I finally found the moment of relaxation I had been looking for. Strangely, being stuck out in that thunderstorm had completely diminished whatever sense of dread the workplace had instilled in me, and I could breathe easy under the most unlikely circumstance. The duress I endured fighting the elements ultimately eclipsed my apprehension for the upcoming work meeting. Even after I finally made it back to my comparatively warm and cozy apartment, the feeling of solace lingered.
Thus, in a slightly clichéd manner, I was confronted with a true incarnation of the old "it could always be worse" paradigm. Sometimes when we find ourselves in a tight fix, having another one thrown on top if it provides the lens we need to appreciate our own situation and our limitations as people, workers, and the like. Struggle is never necessarily welcome, but for better or worse, it can sometimes help more than it hurts. Though it may not be pleasant, a stream of adversities will always prove integral in personal growth.
