Rain, rain, go away.Many of us have been singing this song lately as we haul water out of our basements, but a significant group of the population has fallen silent in the past week. The farmers have stopped wishing for the rain to stay away because it's too late, at this point, to get into the field, even if they could.It's funny, though - this group of people, who are watching their livelihood for the year float away on the rain clouds are actually among the more philosophical I've run into in the past week. They've accepted they can't seed any more; they've come to terms with what this will mean for them this year. "It's Mother Nature," one farmer said with a shrug. "What can you do?"You can complain. It's what many of us are doing after spending days in the basement, watching the water flow in and get pumped out. But we can learn from what the farmers are doing, and just deal with the situation at hand."Yes, I have water in my basement," we can say, "and it's annoying, but by this time next year, hopefully it will be a distant memory."After all, hauling water out the basement with a shop vac or pump is nowhere near as physically or mentally taxing as trying to unearth a large tractor and cultivator from an obscenely muddy field, as many have done in the past weeks. Some farmers, I'm sure, spent nearly as much time being hauled out of the mud or hauling out their neighbours than they did seeding this spring.And while sucking water out the basement can interfere with regular work hours or shifts, at least there's still work for us to do, and a paycheque coming in. Farmers can't say as much, unless they work off the farm, too.Another group of the population that's been affected by the rain are the sports teams. Ball has pretty much ground to a halt over the past few weeks - if it's not raining, the ball field is just too wet to play on - and soccer teams have been struggling with scheduling, as well, as grassy areas everywhere resemble rice fields these days. But while it's frustrating not to be able to play the games you want to play this year, lives - or livelihoods - don't depend on those games being played. The rain and mud are annoying, no doubt, but that's about it.I think the thing we should all be keeping in mind this year is the farmers' mantra: "Next year, things will be better." We just have to get through this one first, and it's possible. Just look at those farmers.
