Rain: How Does it Define You?

     It rains an awful lot at times here in Asian country. In the morning, it may be bright, hot and sunny but by noontime it may be a full-blown tropical downpour. More than once I've been caught off guard and have had to make my way home again in the rain.
     The Tai-Kadai people don't like rain. If it starts to rain, why everybody heads for home or finds the nearest shelter to stop under and wait out the worst of it. It's only the bravest who don the colorful rain jackets and ponchos and travel about on their motorbikes. If it's raining before class time, it's only my dedicated students who face the weather and show up for class. The rain, in a way, defines my students.
     Those who are consistent with attendance and classwork are those who are determined to keep up their good grades and attend class no matter what. Those students who are average, do poorly or are lazy with classwork are those who tend to stay back from class when the skies let loose. I like to think of the rain as similar to the circumstances each one of us faces in life.
     Sometimes the situations we find ourselves facing are not always pleasant. However, if we choose to move forward and not shy away from unpleasant circumstances we are more likely to be successful in the end. We find our courage, strength and persistence by using them. We hardly consider a person strong or courageous who sits on the sidelines waiting.
     No, it's the people who know they don't melt under a downpour and who don't mind getting a bit wet that pull through the situation in the end. They let the 'rain' define them in a positive way.