When It Rains, They Forget
I sit,
listening to the rain falling out the window.
Two weeks of storm doesn't mean we are out of this drought,
But people like easy solutions and I already notice the lack
of conservation in the neighborhood.
Hello rain, they say,
that must mean everything is better,
and they use and consume
and waste, and
hello people, we need water, not just a good storm's worth,
please slow down. Slow down.
I wonder about life and how people can lament something,
can know that things are not right,
can see where changes need to be made and yet,
do nothing.
Nothing.
Continuing on as before, as always,
Forgetting what it is to lack
as soon as there is an abundance,
consuming, wasting, rushing, "progressing," losing touch
with all that is real.
Tolstoy wrote a short story, pen to paper, questioning,
how can we continue on like this?
How can we know and yet not do?
How can we pass on this legacy of wrongness?
If I cannot pass on love, simplicity, truth, and goodness,
if I cannot offer rhythm, stability, peace, and knowledge of the truly important,
I will feel I have failed.
When we are glad for rain so we can water our lawns again,
when we work 40 hours so we can buy the newest, fanciest gadget
to remove us further
from the people around us, the sunrise, life, reality,
when we buy and consume and don't consider where this stuff came from,
what it's made up of,
and what it's doing to us,
we have failed.
We have failed to live our lives beautifully,
to embrace the created world wholly,
with reverence,
to love and give and mindfully live each moment.
We have given ourselves over to false comfort,
false security,
to entertainment and those who seek
profit, not truth.
We have entered the Brave New World cheerfully, with no regrets,
leaving behind Narnia, Middle Earth, Prince Edward Island.
Is there a place for us, for true abundance,
in this world of consumption, of materialism, of success?
Is there a place for
those who walk a different path?
And how do we keep that path clear,
Not wearing out,
before those who follow behind reach it?
I guess we just continue on,
walking and planting.
We become as Miss Rumphius,
tossing seeds upon the roadside wherever we go,
beautiful lupines growing
in our wake.
Hope for tomorrow keeps us moving,
hope that spring returns.
Hope that eyes open, that birds sing,
that there will always be
people who want to listen.
Hope that we will shower our children with
beauty, love, nature,
give them a voracious appetite for truly abundant life,
And that they will keep seeking,
keep pursuing,
follow this road less traveled.
Hope.
When it rains, don’t forget.
What have you forgotten,
and where can you re-discover hope?
AMY HUGHES is a mom of 9 from California. She is a writer, speaker, and Christian gentle parenting guide. Amy, who has been crowned queen of awkward silences, regularly writes for the revolutionary homeschool community Wild + Free and has been a keynote speaker at many homeschool and parenting conferences. Connect with her at simplelittleamy.com and on Instagram at @simplelittleamy.