Of Rains and Suspended Paralysis

The heavy rains that's been going on for almost a week here in Negros has really given new meaning to the word "summer". The once dry creek that runs adjacent to my backyard is gurgling once again, giving a considerable dose of shock to all things living--human and fowls included. The onset of rains at such an inappropriate time of the year has led to some rather peculiar happenings in my little backyard.

My 11-year old trusted gold hen decided that the the downpour was too heavy for her and sought shelter in our front porch, under the bamboo chair. One of my breeding pens got flooded that when I checked the following morning, I thought a duck had replaced my Albany hen who was already scheduled to hatch in five days. Well, the eggs won't be hatching anymore as they literally swam in the puddle. But my ever industrious Albany decided to sit on them anyway until I had to transfer her to a holding pen until she regains her sanity. My January-born also succumbed to the weather and battled with colds.

In a way, everything in my yard underwent a sort of paralysis. I'm sure you understand the feeling of being in a suspended state when the rains come. You can't really move as freely as you like. It seemed that way even for my chickens who aren't as energetic as before. Even their morning crowing is a bit contained.

But life still goes on. I still have to go out and feed them, even if I had to skip puddles as I went from one teepee to the next. The chicks who were strong enough survived and the others who didn't have it in them died and went to gamecock limbo. And in between moments of wanting to curl up in bed and admiring my tough warriors shivering under the cold of my backyard in the little Baguio of Negros Oriental, I found time to write this blog.

There's something to be gleaned in the changing of the seasons. Like the wins and losses of our chickens in the pit, our lives are closely intertwined with the weather. Rains, like losses, might dampen our spirits for a while but the sun will come around to give us the spirit and energy to move and win once again. It's best not to fight the cosmic cycle that marks our existence, but flow with it, savor it and live it. As a writer, nurse, husband, father, son, cocker, breeder and human being, it's how I make sense of it all.... and keep my blood pressure manageable, too. .