Written by: Mariam Raphael-Bakmaya
̈Every cloud has a silver lining ̈ is a hard thing to say when you are standing here soaked by the rain. These clouds seem like all they ever make is wet puddles for me to stomp in, swim in, and then drown in. It seems like I am never able to catch my breath, like the storm is always chasing after me. Every corner I turn, there is a puddle; if not a puddle, a storm; if not a storm, a hurricane. The opportunities for me to drown and fail are endless. No matter where I turn, I am drenched in the water the clouds love to pour, especially on my parade.
Unlike the summer, winter intrinsically gives us the cold shoulder. No more late-night talks, burning heat and peeling shoulders. Instead, you get cold hands, the flu, runny noses and your car battery dying on you. During summer, you do not have to carry an umbrella with you. Although it may rain from time to time, it is the type of rain that rejuvenates you. The type of rain that grows your garden. The type of rain that gives you that wonderful ̈after it rained smell ̈. The type of rain that makes all the birds sing right after. The type of rain that you have been praying for. The type of rain that brings rainbows. It is a shame that we only get to see the beauty of summer once a year.
However, winter isn’t as bad as it seems. Of course, no one would want a runny nose, the flu, cold hands or their car battery dying on them, but what about all the benefits of the sub-zero season? Warm baths after a cold run. The rain and the cold give us the chance to replenish the wildlife and nature around us. It makes our air replenished with moisture, it constructs our streams and rivers and refills our water table when it is dry from the summer. You see, winter is not as bad as it may seem, the pain we suffer during the winter benefits our summer season.
You may be in your ̈winter season ̈ frustration and hibernation as of now. Where you are halfway through the school year and losing all your hope and motivation. You may be giving up on your assignments, handing in nonsense just to avoid earning zero and relying on Grammarly and Chegg instead of that brain you once used at the beginning of the semester. You have worked too hard to lose it all right now, why be afraid of a little rain? Remember, you are not so far away from the summer version of yourself. The version of you that glows in the sun, the version of you that thrives in the heat. That version of you who grew from all the trouble and pain you encountered in the winter. You will wipe the rain off your glasses and go into the new year with gratitude and love in your heart. The silver lining may not always be so evident in different cases but in this case, the clouds let the sun shine through. Under these circumstances, you are the sunshine that will shine through these hard times and live within the silver lining.
