When the Rain Falls 

Four hours of acupuncture patients.

Four hours of chiropractic patients. 

A light day, with heavy rainfall. 

I loved my day. But after trudging through rainy Manhattan to get to Queens, I couldn’t wait to get home.

I traded the wet dress clothes for dry workout ones, knowing I’d have a rainy park all to myself.

And I did. 

So, it was pull-ups and chin-ups, pistols and handstands, hard-style push ups and crow stands.

I laughed at the the irony of my gifted Vibrams nearly falling off on stairs and sprints. They were shoes I couldn’t fill – the slipper that didn’t fit from the last boyfriend.

You’d think performance would wane in the rain. What happens in the rain is this: you get such an overwhelming sensory experience that you can’t be distracted much by your thoughts. So, you move without hindrance.

After the training, I realized the truth: that all excuses have left me. That I’ve made more strength gains in the past year than in the previous collective 33. And, I’m not just referring to a kettlebell.

The struggles – like the rain – keep some folks from heading into them. And for others, they see the potential of the sensory experience – like an empty park in the rain.

So, when it rains, it can go either way: stay inside, or head back out.

It’s your call – and your life. 

For me? The rain is an empty park, with nothing in front of me but a goal to crush.

– Dr. Kathy Dooley