"In between a Liquor Store and a Speedy Cash"

In between a Liquor Store and a Speedy Cash, in the rain, classmates are walking through the rain, only about 4 of the 18 or so have umbrellas.  They just arrived off of a transit bus about half a mile from their school, its raining.  The other cars, people, are flying by busy, fast, speeding, yellow lights are green.  The kids without the umbrellas they don't run across the street. They let it rain on them, they don't rush to escape the rain..

Some of the kids have hoodys on, I have been in the rain before they just soak up the rain. Some of the young girls, they don't rush from the rain other. They must not be concerned with their makeup. The boys, they don't have umbrellas for the girls.  They are walking. What would you do? I honestly would be running, running as fast as I can.  I don't want to be wet all day, even if I had an umbrella, running, I don't want to be cold, if I had white on, I wouldn't want to be exposed.. I would want to start clean and fresh, everyday, I wouldn't want to start my day this way.  Cold, defeated, uncomfortable, yet still walking, and walking by busy people who didn't think about my rain, then reminded by two things that we believe can help us escape the rain, and how they so quietly and quickly impede our goals and dreams..and yet this seem so normal..to us..while walking across the street nothing changes.. people keep moving, moving faster.

Thinking deeply, I am not sure how it would feel to get out of Topeka public bus this morning. I imagine it wasn't a comfortable ride, you jump out of the bus, its raining, your going to get an education, goals, college. Yet your family is struggling to provide for you, you don't have an umbrella.. Most likely you are on the public bus because you tried to get to the west side of town or don't have a car,  you assume its a better school and this can give you an advantage. And you are still reminded of that vision every day, before you even think about your dreams..., a Liquor Store and a Speedy Cash, get a drink and get some money.....?

Really to be honest, I have done both of the above, they don't lead to anything more fulfilling or dreamy. They lock you out of what really is put inside of you. What God put inside of you. I haven't discovered or let all of that out of me yet, yet this morning I just wanted to have 20 umbrella's for them and say, "There is more than this, don't let everyday life let you accept this rain."

We can walk through life letting it rain on us constantly, and we can just walk, letting it make us so cold; it's raining here and you know, the suns out somewhere.  A lot of us believe a drink is the American way, an escape, and we can't live without it, you can. A lot of us believe that debt is the only way to have the wants in life in time, its not. 

A calm, fulfilled, refreshed, joyful life is when you surround yourself with others, and help people understand their dreams. Life is so much bigger when we let it shine in our eyes, in our hearts. When the sun comes out later today, let the sun in, put your arms out, that may just energize you enough, and then the next time it rains, you just may have those 20 umbrellas with you. 

--Justin