Flying in the rain

An untimely rain was falling against the inflamed, mid-day Colombo streets.  And a shade-less bird was flying against the shamelessly heavy skies. Looking out from the third-floor office window I thought a shade would do very little for the already soaked crow. Yet it kept twitching its heavy wings against the grey clouds and soon disappeared.
Long after it went out of sight I kept wondering why the crow didn’t take refugee of any of the high rise buildings that crowd the Colombo skyline. Like anyone else, did it have a specific place in mind to rest? As a kid I always wondered where all the birds went when it started raining all of a sudden. I always wanted to find out whether they took shade under random trees until the rain stopped or they kept flying in the shower until they found their nests.  For some strange reason, I felt every one of us had been or will be in the situation of the crow which kept flying in the rain.
Perhaps, if someone knows what awaits him or her at the end of the journey, keep flying in the rain would be the better thing to do, rather than stopping under unknown trees. The sky is sure to break into thunder many times and the winds will change its direction without prior notice. The speed and the size of the raindrops will vary from time to time. Perhaps it will rain throughout your journey or you may come across sunny skies in its course. This does not guarantee that the sun will remain shinning till you finish your journey. So, while you keep drying your soaked wings, keep in mind that sky will change its mind any moment and you will be back on the square number one.
But the silver lining of it will be that, you have covered half or three quarter of your journey and the toiling has energized you so much that even if you have to start from the very beginning, you will have the strength and the courage to see the end of it. Sometimes, it is okay to take the long route which has more trees and buildings to cover you from the wind. Sometimes you will need a minute to breathe because your journey has been a long one. Sometimes there will be people who envy your wings and hate their strength. Sometimes no one will raise their heads to look at you because you are just an ordinary bird devoid of shiny peacock feathers.
But always keep in mind that your journey is always for your sake, and it’s the nest that was built for you and your efforts awaits at the end of the trip. If others applaud it, be happy. If others want your wings or try to step into your nest, after making the long trip, you will know you can always make a better and stronger one!