Posted by TerryS (24.24.79.72) on November 19, 2000 at 16:38:14:
Rainy Days
If you have done much camping, you know that rainy
days can be miserable in a tent. This particular tent
leaks when it rains. That's why I put this plastic
tarp on it when I know that rain is a probability. It
looks pretty ugly, but, it does keep it dry inside the
tent. I guess you could say that the key to camping in
the rain is preparation. But it isn't always that
simple or easy.
For example, a rainy day makes everything damp and
uncomfortable. It's not a lot of fun to crawl into a
damp sleeping bag. On the other hand, twenty minutes
in a laundry-mat can make all the difference in the
world.
If you have children with you, it's important to have
some "rainy day plans." A rainy day is a good time to
visit the State Museum, or go to a movie, or do
something else that will keep you in a better
atmosphere. Rainy days are good travel days, a nice
time to go to see something that requires two or three
hours of driving time. No matter how much planning you
do, however; no matter how well prepared you may be;
rainy days are not the best days for camping. You know
that they will happen, and you try to make the best of
them.
It seems to me that the most important single factor
in dealing with these unwelcome intrusions into a
vacation is attitude. The way you face the situation
will be the most significant factor in how the day
turns out. We all know people who seem to have become
quite expert in the art of making a bad situation
worse. It is certainly easy to let something negative
become the foundation upon which you erect a house of
misery.
There have been many times when I have tried to
convince one or more people that it doesn't do any
good to build on the negative. The trick is to turn
the negative into a positive, or to put it behind you
and move on to the more positive aspects of life.
There is little to be gained, and much to be lost, by
focusing undue attention on something that we can't
really change.
That little lesson is one of the keys to a happy life.
It's not so much a matter of being content with bad
situations, as it is a matter of moving ahead when we
can't do anything about a negative situation. When you
can't stop the rain, figure out the best way to
co-exist with it.
Getting angry certainly won't help. Being hostile
toward others doesn't improve the situation. Pouting
doesn't add anything to the positive side of the
ledger.
I suggest that you take a moment to think about your
negative situations in life, and ask yourself what you
can do to make life better.
By David L. Glusker