If you are not aware, I am a certified Pilates instructor. Earlier in the year, when winter was still upon us and we barely saw the sun, it was getting to everyone. I could really feel how moods were impacted by day after day of not seeing that big ball of light in the sky. But one of my Pilates students said something one morning that really resonated with me. Facing yet another dull and dreary day, she said she keeps thinking that above all of those gray clouds, the sun is still shining and the sky is brilliant blue. We just need to wait for those clouds to part so we can see the sunshine. I really liked that attitude, because I was starting to feel down after days and days of cloudy skies and no sun. I tried hard to keep that bigger picture in mind. I remember the next day we were blessed with that beautiful blue sky and the sun finally decided to make an appearance, and everyone’s mood and attitudes lifted. But then the next day it was back to gray skies, proving that nature, like life, ebbs and flows, and we have to grab that sunshine when we can because the clouds might return tomorrow.

Like the weather, our moods go through periods of feeling down in the dumps, and then suddenly we have a few days of happiness, followed by a little more darkness. But like nature, we can’t let the dreary times weigh us down too much, and we have to maintain hope and faith that the brighter days are ahead, even though it may not always seem like it. Mother Nature is tough and resilient and she always finds a way to part those clouds and let the sun shine through, even if only for brief moments. We have to remember that we have the power within ourselves to control how much sunshine or gloom we allow into our lives, and we can decide if we want to part those clouds and see the blue skies above us, or pull out that umbrella and let the rain continue to fall.

The Resilience of Nature

A bird that has a broken wing
Still sings its cheerful song.
A tree that has a sheared-off limb
Stands up straight and strong.

An apple can be shiny red
When rotten to the core.
The sun still lives up in the sky
Even though the clouds may pour.

A stone that’s tossed among the waves
Comes out smooth and polished.
A spider builds a brand new web
When its first one is demolished.

A rainbow holds its vibrancy
As it fades out of the sky.
Leaves are the most beautiful
Right before they die.

I try to keep this strength in mind
When life starts to make me weary.
I try to toughen up my stance
With the burdens that I carry.

I think of things in nature
When my hope starts to dissolve;
How they stand up to the elements,
And it strengthens my resolve.

For it is true, I have two choices:
I can stand up and fight back,
And muster up bravado
For the courage that I lack.

Or I can lie down quietly
And let my burdens overtake.
But it’s obvious, even to me,
What choice I need to make.

For like that bee that looks for pollen
Among a dying flower,
As long as hope is still alive
I can take back my own power.

I can straighten up my backbone
Like the tree that lost its limb
And find the will to push on through,
Even when hope seems dim.

As long as blood flows through my veins,
As long as I’m alive
I will take my cue from nature,
And fight hard to survive.

But not just fight, I’ll flourish,
And I’ll take on any fight.
Tenacity will guide my way
Like a star that lights the night.

Nature is my teacher,
And my mentor, and my guide.
Like a lion in the wild,
I will stand up tall with pride.

Life continues to evolve,
And the earth just keeps on spinning.
As long as I don’t quit the fight
I know that I am winning.

I’ll surge along with the tide
As struggles come and go,
Until I can finally rest my bones
Where peaceful waters flow.