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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.
