Feel the Rain
“Some people feel the rain and some people get wet– there is a distinct difference.”
On a recent trip to Vieques, Puerto Rico amidst wild horses and penetrable heat, I came across a sage waiter whose words resonated long after my plane touched down in Richmond.
Adorned with long dreadlocks and a calming disposition, he shared local delights and provided insight on the best ways to experience the island’s majestic beaches and native foods. While providing his suggestions, a slight drizzle began to fall from the sky– not uncommon in Vieques where it rains on and off, much like Florida.
As we scootched our table and chairs under the awning, he said, “Some people feel the rain and some people get wet– there is a distinct difference.”
His words rattled around in my brain like many quotes do when you hear them at exactly the right moment in time. As I reflected on how I got to this island in the first place, it dawned on me what he meant. It’s not what happens to you, it is how you respond.
Twelve hours earlier when we arrived at the ferry terminal en route to Viques, we learned that we would be delayed upwards of eight hours. It was incredibly hot, and the idea of sitting at a terminal in the middle of an abandoned Air Force base seemed less than ideal. I read somewhere earlier that there were private jets. I mean if the rich and famous can charter a jet, can’t I at least see what it costs? A girl can dream afterall…. After a few phone calls and failed attempts at water taxis and alternate routes, I called the local air service and learned that for $100 each, we could be on the island in seven minutes…. on a private jet. The charter would hold the four of us and our luggage. Scary? Maybe, but it was the perfect solution at that moment. While it was an expense we had not considered, with only four days to spend in Puerto Rico, the idea of eating vending machine food and fanning myself with a travel brochure simply was not an option. We boarded that flight a few hours later and the view was breathtaking. It was an incredible, exhilarating seven minutes as our tiny plane balanced over lush greenery and crystal blue waters; it was a view I will not soon forget.
Thinking about this experience made me realize– when we are “getting wet,” the action is happening to us. This interpretation holds negative connotation. You are simply the recipient of an unlikely and or unexpected chain of events. Quite simply, you are not in control of the situation; the situation is in control of you. However, when we “feel the rain,” the tables turn. In this scenario, the situation is not changing or defining us– we are experiencing it, and we are in the driver’s seat. This positive connotation allows us to take action. The Get wetters like to cast blame- why me? The Feel the Rainers see the opportunity in the unexpected. They ask things like what can I learn from this experience? How does this improve me? How can this seemingly bad thing actually be good? They are not an optimist, an optimist or a realist- they are simply an observer; they question. It’s sometimes hard to feel the rain when you are drenched, but it is an important reminder for us to think about how we are framing our situation.
Viques taught many lessons, but the waiter resonated with me the most. The last thing he said to us that morning when we asked for various recommendations was, “What’s your vibe?” This is a common question or declaration from my college students. It is a colloquialism not often used by our generation, but there is a lesson in it for sure. You get to pick your vibe– there is always a choice. Getting wet is going to happen, but we all have the opportunity to feel the rain.
