Takeaway: Running in the rain is calming as soon as I give up the expectation of staying dry. Letting go of the uncontrollable is an important skill everyone should learn.
New Readers: Don’t miss out on great insights. Subscribe Now.
Let me tell you a short story.
I was running on a Sunday morning. It had rained the night before, and the path was littered with puddles. Some easily dodged, others taking up most of the path. Up ahead was a big puddle which took most of an area that could normally fit four bodies across.
Coming in the opposite direction was an older gentleman and his wife. They walked side by side.
As I got closer I had a decision to make. The dry section of the path was not large enough for us both, even if they had gone single-file. We most surely would have bumped shoulders.
I could run through the puddle, something I’m not unaccustomed to. Yet, in this specific circumstance they would have gotten splashed by the force of my footsteps in the water.
My third option was to take the grassy section on the outside of the asphalt path, up and around the opposite side of the puddle.
In a fraction of a second I chose the third option.
As I veered off course I was met by thick, sludgy mud. By the time I realized, it was too late. I was already committed.
I pressed on.
The gentleman saw what was happening and quickly apologized for forcing my decision.
My response was quick and reactionary, “This is the path.”
In hindsight, I may have confused the sh*t out of him.
My response’s inception was perhaps the consequence of watching too much Disney+. Nevertheless, it struck me as more philosophical than I intended.
What I meant by that statement was, “No need to apologize. This isn’t your fault, it’s just how the path is today.” I simply didn’t have enough time to say all of that as I ran by.
Running in the rain is calming as soon as I give up the expectation of staying dry.
This is the path.
It quite literally means this is how the path is today, and I can’t do anything to change that. It also represents freeing yourself from the anxiety and worry about things out of your control.
It’s about liberating yourself from an impossible expectation—the absence of hardship.
Life is rife with hardship at varying and sporadic intervals. There is no way around this. Continuing to expect its absence only leads to more suffering.
Instead, a frequent practice of accepting things out of your control can teach you to distinguish problems that can be solved from those that can’t.
Relentlessly solve problems you can control. Accept the hardships you can’t control. This is the path.
~ Coach Alex