At 11:30 p.m. Sunday, bright lights swept through my bedroom window, waking me from my

sleep. I rolled out of bed to see a combine cutting through the first row of stalks in the field

across from my house.

The harvest had begun. At 11:30 p.m. On a Sunday.

As I left the house at 5 a.m. the next morning, I glanced to my left for oncoming traffic and could

see the combine still at work. Now a few rows deeper into the large field, they had worked

throughout the night.

Only after I pulled up the weather forecast did I see what the workers likely already knew: rain

was predicted in the upcoming days. Despite the damage from the hail storm the week before,

they were trying to salvage their months of hard work in the field and Mother Nature was

sending another roadblock with a day-long soaking of rain.

While I was looking forward to a day filled with rain because it forces me to stay inside and get

things done, not everyone feels the same way I do. The workers had given up a night of sleep to

try and beat the impending weather.

On Tuesday, as rain soaked our community, adding to the puddles leftover from last week’s

storms, I noted to my fitness class that I enjoyed rainy days because I found them soothing. A

class member noted that the cloudy day actually depressed them, especially since they knew

their roof leaked every time even a small rain storm moved through.

I was reminded that not everyone feels the same way I do. This person was not only missing the

sun but was worried about the state of their home.

On Wednesday with the rain having moved on, a friend pointed out that she still had holes in her

roof from the hail storm last week, which meant more damage to her house. Her kitchen

cabinets were likely going to have to be completely replaced because the continuous water was

taking its toll. And her basement was again showing signs of water leaking into the lower level of

their house.

I decided not to share my love of rainy days again but all the recent experiences reminded me

that some of us have privileges that others don’t on a daily basis, such as the luxury of sleeping

through the night versus pulling an overnighter to get a job done; like finding the sound of rain

soothing versus building anxiety; or enjoying the cleansing rain as opposed to the dread of

water entering your home unwanted.

Considering what others are thinking and experiencing isn’t just limited to the rain and the

weather. It is applied to everyday life.

We cannot fully comprehend everything someone has gone through so a little bit of empathy

goes a long way. And we cannot understand everything someone has experienced so a little bit

of patience is helpful.

I’m still going to enjoy rainy days but I’m also going to realize that not everyone looks forward to

the clouds building up in the sky. And if we all showed a little bit more compassion for others,

our communities would be even better places to call home.

***

On a side note, thank you to everyone who attended the Lied’s Arts Across Nebraska

performance of Omaha Street Percussion at the McCook Fox Theater this week.

Hosted locally by the McCook Creative District, the evening performance drew nearly 200

people Wednesday night.

But it was the morning matinee which was truly impressive. Nearly every seat in the Fox

Theater was full. Charlie and Christina Coleman dusted off rows and rows of chairs in the

balcony because they were all needed to host the 600-plus people in attendance.

A shout-out to the school administrators and music teachers for recognizing the value of taking

school time to attend the performance. It was truly spectacular to see the Fox filled to the

rafters. It was so much fun to see the teachers joining with their students in the excitement of

the music. And perhaps most importantly, it was a joy to see the smile on the kids’ faces, to see

their hands clapping, and to see their bodies jumping to the music.

For a change of pace, attendees were encouraged to clap along, to sing along and to even

stand up and dance in the middle of the show. And the kids - along with most adults - at the

morning matinee took full advantage of that opportunity.

It must be noted that the show was likely too much for the residents from Hillcrest who attended

the morning show, but I hope they saw the joy the young people were experiencing.

But it is moments like this show that we understand the importance of music in our lives, of

letting kids be kids and of simply letting go and enjoying the moment.