Don't Be Like A Thunderstorm

It's springtime. Long, sunny days roll by in endless repetition. The world comes alive with a fresh new vibrance. New colors, new smells, new sunshine. All is serene, peaceful.

The lakes and rivers twinkle, smiling as the land cannot, like a giant eye moist with ecstacy. Then slowly, imperceptibly, the water turns to gas and rises high into the air where it gathers and waits.

The new sun must take its toll. The earth sweats. The air sighs and heaves, carrying the clouds on its back to shelter the land. But the world is still so happy - children and animals frolic, delighting in this season of beauty. The skies give not a hint of their struggle.

Until, one day in early April, the seams rupture. Suddenly, dark and agry clouds clothe the atmosphere. The great, stoic strength of the sky caves in all at once, and the earth is pelted with tiny water droplets, tinged with the pain of a slighted hero.



Lightning crashes, and thunder rolls. Children and animals run for cover.

At length, all is over. Life returns to normal. Everything remains as it always was, except for the scar that was left on our minds, the only remaining mark of a thunderstorm.

Too often, I see this scenario reinacted in my own life. We all have those burdens, those little pieces of daily life that, whether they be small as a water droplet or big as a bucketfull, weigh us down, threatening to tear us apart.

For instance, I've been really into schoolwork lately. I will work myself to the bone if I have to in order to get a good grade. Normally, if I stay up too late or study for too long, if I'm tired, mentally or physically, I try to hold it in for as long as possible. I tell myself that I have to be strong. And then, every once in a while, I snap. I yell at my parents, I give my friends the cold shoulder, and then I curl up in a ball and cry.

The funny thing is, I never get better until I talk about my feelings anyway. One way or anther, they have to go; whether I talk to my parents, my friends, or my God. I can't rely on myself. Otherwise, the thunderstorm will never give way to spring.

So what do you guys think? What are some of the burdens in your life that you need to share with others? Is this a difficult issue for you, too? Conversely, do you find yourself expressing your emotions too much? Is it possible to come off as complaining or a "victim"? Feel free to leave your comments below. I would love to have your thoughts and feedback.

Shalom,

Anna