Sometimes things have to fall apart to fall in place

Wake Me Up When September Ends by the band, Green Day, got a whole new meaning for me this year. It was more like a wake-up call or, rather, a rude awakening.

The whole month I waited for the first rain and hoped it would come to wash away all the winter dust and all our troubles. Unfortunately, when the September rain eventually arrived, it didn’t rain, it poured.

If a weather forecaster predicted the end of September, it would go something like: “It will be cloudy with a chance of change with days of downpours of regrets.

“The strong winds of change will sweep through your life and was expected to blow over when you learn your lesson.”

Did I have an umbrella and was I prepared for the rain? No.

Although I spent weeks or even months anticipating the rain, I wasn’t prepared for the change of season.

Some people believe rain symbolism represents cleansing, calmness, growth and fertility, even rebirth. It’s also commonly present in romantic scenes but also to portray a protagonist’s high level of mental strength.

Like the sudden transition from a relatively hot winter to a hot spring day, my life also shifted to a new season.

The once-fake fairy tale unexpectedly and inevitably turned into an instant nightmare when I fell victim to sudden change.

From celebrating an anniversary to packing up my life and moving out in a matter of days after yet another love disappointment.

Like the weather, the relationship turned stormy and left me in a shipwreck when it hit me head-on and uprooted me.

Was the rain I long anticipated not supposed to be a good omen? According to a search on Google, rain is good luck because it signifies that you will have children, be cleansed of the sadness and tough times from your past and be given a new chapter in your life.

It also allegedly symbolises that your marriage will last, something that we all hope for. In this case, it rained three days long after I was struck with the reality that my life will now never be the same again.

Looking back, it also rained on my wedding day, in May, and that also didn’t turn out great.

However, at the end of September, the inevitable storm forced me to jump ship. I now had to start over.

How do you start your life over in a matter of a weekend?

The same way you survive a storm: you face it head-on. What have I learned from the sudden change in my life?

It was possible to find and secure a new place to stay, pack up my life in a few boxes and black bags and move over a weekend.

Years ago, as I sat outside one night looking at the stars with my sister, she said the most profound thing.

“Sometimes things have to fall apart to fall in place,” she said.

Suddenly there was a silver lining to the storm and I realised the sun will rise again, no matter what the weatherman says.