Word of the Day: Gullywasher
By Maria Johnson • Jun 30th, 2008 • Category: Monday Musings
My husband calls those storms that come out of nowhere, rain hard and heavy, and then disappear, gullywashers. I claim cultural ignorance when he uses regionalisms and colloquialisms, so an explanation usually follows, and it is often more colorful than the expression itself.
Anyway, we had just such a gullywasher last evening. A violent storm popped up, flashed around some dramatic thunder and lightning, dumped a lot of rain, and disappeared just as suddenly.
Our area needed the rain. We’ve been in a drought for some time, so every little bit helps, even if it’s just a dump and run like last night. I noted the refreshing and invigorating effects of the storm this morning when I went outside with the dog. Everything was washed clean and looked brighter and healthier. The whole neighborhood somehow looked greener, and the sounds of life were everywhere. Is there anything that expresses the wonder of the natural world more clearly than the sounds of birds chirping in the early morning? I was in such a good mood that I didn’t even scream when I walked through a brand new spider web on the narrow path to our backyard.
I reflected on how much we’ve needed that water, and the irony of our brothers and sisters in the midwest struggling with the destructive consequences of too much water. We can’t control the forces of nature, but we can seek balance in our own lives.
Balance is certainly something that I struggle with every day. It seems to me that my modus operandi is to focus focus focus on whatever the hot point is, and let other things fall away. Those things will eventually surface as hot points later, and the cycle continues.
Even as I write about it, I realize that I have no plan to achieve that balance. Maybe the first step is admitting the problem. Perhaps. At any rate, the realization struck me with the same intensity as the gullywasher. It’s time for me to nurture my physical well-being as much as my spiritual well-being, my work and my play, and my relationships as well as myself.
Too much of a good thing is just as bad as not having enough. Sometimes I’m just a little slow to catch on.
Maria Johnson is one of the lead writers for That Catholic Show, which is co-produced by Rosary Army and SQPN. You can also buy her books, including a collection of her Monday Musings columns, from her online store.
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