Thomas Fuller once said, “We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” After weeks and months of agony in the historical heat wave that hit Zimbabwe and the surrounding region towards the end of 2015, the heavy rains that started falling midway into the first quarter of 2016 brought a sense of relief to many even though hopes for reviving crops at that stage had all died away.
Inspiration with Cynthia Hakutangwi
Many whose crops and livestock had died in the heat and drought season almost cursed the rains for coming so late when there was nothing remaining to salvage. In spite of all that, when the pain and disappointment is washed away, the people still rejoice at the coming of the water because of the hope for a life beyond the heat and the loss. Kariba dam hit a historical all time low and this made the people panic. Some weeks later, the raindrops pounded heavily on the earth which was waiting readily for it after what seemed an endlessly eternity of being scorched by the merciless sun. It is on a day like this that children can sing loudly “Mvura naya naya tidye mupunga.” At the onset of the rainy season, a frequent sight is of children holding hands and dancing in a circle as they look up expectantly into the sky, singing this rhyme as they encourage the rains to descend so that they can harvest and eat rice.
Can you flourish in any season in life? Life doesn’t proceed in a linear fashion; it moves in seasons — cyclical rhythms. Different responses are needed in different seasons. What is right for one season may be inappropriate or unnecessary in another. Think of some of the characteristics of each of the four seasons. Summer is a time of harvest, joy, holidays, “rest and recreation”, storing up for the future, but also dryness and scorching heat. We enjoy summer, but we need the other seasons to sustain life. In Autumn, this is a time where winds of change blow through your life, of feeling unsettled, uncertainty, the ground shifting, cultivation of the ground in preparation for the season to come, pruning, things seem to be cooling down or even dying off. Winter is often characterised by barrenness, darkness, no evident life, things seem to be at a halt, lack of apparent progress, growth is hidden, you are in a valley, things don’t feel as exciting as they used to, a time of introspection and internal searching. In Spring we experience new life, breakthrough, growth, emerging fruit, productivity, passion reignited, sowing seed, new dreams and visions, movement, rapid change. Looking back, you can often see that you learned and grew the most in the hardest times.
Appreciating different seasons Seasons apply to every area of life. Developing the ability to recognise what season we’re in and doing our best to remain flexible enough to learn the lessons we need to will help us progress onto the next phase. Be willing to adapt, grow, learn and move. How we handle each season will prepare us for those that follow. And we should be careful not to judge those going through difficult times harshly, because none of us are immune to hardship. Seasons can be observed in relationships, finance, different decades, our education, career, and the different stages of our spiritual growth.
What is the perfect weather condition? “Rain Rain Go Away” is a popular English language nursery rhyme which has been modified to various versions. Sometimes when the rain eventually comes in our lives we are not always prepared for it and we may even feel that it is disrupting our routine activities. I remember that as we were growing up we were taught that if we wanted the rain to go away we would throw grains of salt around the homestead. We believed that this would chase away the rain when we wanted to either play, work or needing the grains to dry in the sun or for the clothes to dry on the laundry line. So, what is the perfect weather condition? You may never have the perfect weather conditions that suit your fancy all the time. Regardless of your age or the weather conditions in whichever part of the world you may be, what is most important is to make a determined effort to create your own atmosphere within and around you. If you continually allow the external weather elements to determine your mood and your outlook on life you are bound to lose so many years waiting for the perfect conditions for you to unleash your potential or manifest in your areas of giftedness.
Have you walked through a wilderness that left you dry and parched in so many areas of your life? What have you done to refresh and replenish those areas? Do you have any bitterness because of the things that you have gone through? What will it take you to forgive and allow fresh water to wash through your pain? Who can help you to go through this? Do not allow the external weather elements to determine your mood and outlook on life. Go ahead and create your own atmosphere!
Cynthia Hakutangwi is a communications and personal development consultant, life coach, author, and strategist. She is the managing consultant of Wholeness Incorporated. Her newly published book is entitled Destination Wholeness – Going Beyond Brokenness. Previously published titles include The Whole You – Vital Keys for Balanced Living and Intelligent Conversations: A Mindset Shift Towards a Developed Africa. She is co-author of Success Within Reach. E-mail: [email protected]. Facebook: Wholeness Incorporated. Website: www.wholenessinc.com
