Liquid sunshine
There’s a small office in my lab building, where some of the friendliest smiling faces will greet you when you walk into the building. It’s my go-to place for anything — from borrowing an office stapler or asking for campus directions. Today, I went in to borrow a stapler.
I don’t know this particular person’s name, but he sits in the front of the office and always greets me with such warmth. Today, as I was using his stapler (for the 17th time), he asked me how I was doing.
“I’m doing alright! The rain is a bit gloomy though,” I respond.
“You know, I used to say that when I was younger. I used to think the rain was so melancholy and get sad thinking about it. But as I grew older, I realized that without it, nothing grows. So I stopped looking at it in a melancholy manner. Now I just call it liquid sunshine,” he shares, with the warmest smile in all of Atlanta.
And with that, my melancholy day turned into liquid sunshine. I’m going through a tough transition period in my life, one where I’m being challenged to be strong and independent. Today has been especially hard because I’m not able to talk about it with the person I usually run to with all of my struggles. But my friend’s words comforted me and encouraged me to view this stage of my life as necessary for growth. It might be melancholy at times, but like all of the shrubs and trees after the rain, I will have grown.
With that, I hope that you’re able to view your rainy days as liquid sunshine days.
:-)
-Hyeon Ju
