Unwritten

Living in an early 2000s pop song

“Feel the rain on your skin…”

This cliche but classic early 2000s banger by Natasha Bedingfeld quite perfectly articulated my commute home from work today. Disgruntled by the seemingly never ending New Jersey traffic, I opted for a less eco, but more green route home. Good ole Google Maps found me a nice park in the middle of Montclair to make my pit stop double as closing my movement rings for the day. I turned my phone on airplane mode and set a timer for an hour. Probably the one hour in my day with no LED screens piercing my peripherals.

As I began my walk, I simply asked God to speak to me. I began to notice the arrows signifying to keep going straight ahead as I continued walking on the path. It made me think of Psalm 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight”.

I noticed how grounding it felt every time I saw another arrow showing me the way to go, giving me confidence in the next step head. But I also noticed how often my eyes wandered towards the other paths people were walking down in the distance, and how many forks in the road there were. “I wonder if I should try that path….”

Keep going on the straight path and see where it leads you, I challenged myself.

Well, the straight path led me all throughout the park, even on some of the paths I saw from a distance that looked like I could never get to while staying straight on that path. It also led me straight into the middle of a rainstorm…

A brief 30 minutes prior I was admiring someone for their diligence in steadily sun soaking in the field. Because I was walking under the shade for a while, I didn’t realize the clouds had rolled in. All of a sudden I look to my right and see a flash flood kicking a kids scrimmage match off of a field, like the angry Argentina players after losing to Spain in the World Cup final ( lollll sry).

Two kids who I had passed earlier rushed up from behind me running from the flood, while their father trailed behind them attempted to usher them under an umbrella of some sort. Their giddy squeals in their rush to find shelter reminded me that the rain is actually kinda fun. Why do we run away from getting a little bit wet? I want to feel the rain on my skin…. here’s Natasha’s cue!

As the rain poured down harder and harder, I began to walk faster and faster to find my car, while at the same time delighting in this moment. I felt more present. More alive. The Jersey traffic jams a thing of the past, and a Natasha Bedingfeld karaoke car jam sesh now my present reality.

So…… feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

(Ironically, today is the intersection of July, my job, and this journal ending and I suppose new beginnings)

BUT

The rest is still unwritten….