Hard Rain

Ken Carlson

“The Avenue in the Rain.” Childe Hassam. source: The White House Historical Association

The fan in the window is blowing in cool air from outside. It’s supposed to start raining in about three hours, around 1 a.m. EST. It will probably rain most of tomorrow heading into the weekend. I like it when it rains; like my mom used to say, it makes the flowers grow.

Life and things of beauty have been hard to focus on of late. Between the virus, the chaos, the high unemployment, it’s difficult to tell your teenage daughters that tomorrow will be something worth being hopeful about. In my gut, I think the fall, autumn, will be symbolic. Just as leaves fall, so will our little world. Jobs will continue to be lost. The virus will return and strike at those struggling the most.

But we’re here now. I have my family. They’re ok. I try to be thankful for that.

It’s been said that unto every life a little rain must fall. Let’s hope this is a passing storm, that the thunder will subside, and something new worth appreciating will grow.

Ken Carlson is the author of GET OUT OF MY WAY! THE ANNOYED COMMUTER’S HANDBOOK. He has covered the Arts for several news sites and his editorial work for The Comedians Magazine was featured in the A.V. Club section of The Onion. Recently he has published humorous essays online for Defenestration, Conceit Magazine, and Variety Pack, as well as short stories for 365 Tomorrows, Flora Fiction, and Literary Heist. @KenCarlsonsaid.