Ogunquit in the Rain

Yesterday, I spent my much-anticipated day off in Ogunquit, Maine. For those of you who have never visited Ogunquit, it is a quaint, artsy beach town and one of my favorite day-off destinations. 

This is the first time that it rained almost the entire time I was there. Not pitter-patter rain. No, this was the downpour variety. To top it off, it was also bone-chilling cold. So I put on my positive glasses and decided to quit moping about the weather and start enjoying Ogunquit in the rain. I didn't have a choice about the weather, but I did have a choice about my mindset.

There were much fewer people than usual in the shops, and I noticed that the store owners were bored and eager to engage in conversation with me and my friends. As we entered The Spot, a clothing, beachwear and jewelry shop, we spotted a man sitting on a white rattan sofa in the back room, eating his Thai vegetarian dinner. Jose and his wife owned the store, and he was very friendly. We began speaking about everything from his Special Education career in South Beach, Florida, to how he met his wife and got into the retail business, to his yoga practice, vegetarian diet, and his club connections back in Florida. We had a fascinating and fun conversation. I loved his positive outlook on life.

The next clothing store we entered was run by a woman who was pleasant and helpful. She began talking to me about the creative memoir writing courses that she teaches. We had a great discussion about teaching, writing, and the incessant rain.

The rain slowed us all down, in a good way. We lingered a lot longer in places where we would have just perused for a few moments. And I loved the slower pace. I enjoyed knowing that I had no place to rush to. It was my day off. I could return to camp any time I wanted. I could sit down for a mocha latte at Breaking New Grounds in Perkins Cove, Maine, watching the waves crash onto the shore, or eat some delicious home-made ice cream at Annabelle's in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on our way back to camp. 

As we headed back to camp, the sun broke through the clouds and we all cheered! Hooray for the sun, and a few hours later, when the sky opened up again, hooray for the rain. Just shifting your focus a bit can help you enjoy the day, no matter the weather. And there is always a hidden blessing even in the most challenging situations in life. 

I would love to hear how you shifted your focus and found the hidden blessing in a challenging situation in your life.