There is something to be said about the calm before the storm and unexpected mishaps. There was a lull when I came in this morning. I thought I had time to grab a cup of tea at the school with a little spoonful of sugar. I sat down for a second and watched the skies darken and the rain rushed down like excited torrents spilling from the sky. It was quite honestly peaceful to listen to that rush of a waterfall pounding on the roof. Then all of a sudden, life started spilling down around me too and before I knew it, the bus going to summer academy was was stuck, teachers were calling me reporting garbage cans rolling down the stream on the sidewalk, roads were closed, small children were standing outside, parents were calling, the transportation company was ringing and that pounding rain came down so fast, it was a bit hard to think. 

Super Storms take place during all walks of life and sometimes they occur just to test your patience and understanding of others. Rain is probably the best reminder of empathy. You represent that one droplet and thousands and millions of other droplets in the sky represent all the other people around you, their children, their woes and situations, their joys and their sorrows. While answering those questions and parent phone calls worrying about their children, mishaps with the bus and other situations, I just kept thinking of those rain droplets-remembering that I am only one and the focus should be on all the other droplets dripping around. In one day, our schedule of academy life was shifted. Buses got stuck and did not come, parents were notified, indoor recess took place in the gymnasium and stations were set up and the power went out at 2:40 right during the dismissal so bus lanes were shifted into the foyer. 

Through it all, there was one story of patience that really stood out to me. Two of our students had been marked down as car-riders but somehow got on the bus instead. After talking to the bus company and the frantic mother and waiting about 40 minutes for the bus to come back with the children, I was tired of all those rain droplets in the sky. But practicing empathy is tiresome and it's supposed to be if you are doing it right. After talking to a parent for a long time and assuring her that I truly understood her frustration, and she had every right to be angry, we calmly waited for the bus to come back and the children got off safely. 

And I thought back to the mishap and what could have been done to prevent it, but I also reflected on those droplets in the sky and the reminder that staying calm was the right thing to do, mistakes happen and with understanding, we move forward as people. At the end, just as I was about to submit an apology email to this individual, I received a notification that I had just received an email. I clicked to open and saw it was from the very individual to whom I had almost submitted the email. See that whimsy. It was probably one of the nicest emails I had received after a pretty severe storm. There was not a hint of the frustration I had seen earlier. It was a sincere, positive note thanking me for calmness and positivity that I had received from the rain that day. After reading her note, I had submit too in the hopes that I could send some droplets back of gratitude and a sincere apology. 

So let it always be a reminder that the droplets that fall from the sky represent the people and there are many people. And those people can be shedding all kinds of tears. So when there are tears shed, always think about where those tears come from, what cloud in the sky and think about that before you respond with annoyance or you become disgruntled. Perhaps those droplets will serve as a reminder of greater clarity like when you look inside that puddle and you begin to see the face of another. Severe storms sometimes bring the greatest clarity. Let the droplets of empathy wash over your soul.