Lý Thị Hương Lan

The Story of Rain

There was a time when I hit rock bottom—quitting my job, losing direction, and losing faith in myself. It was raining that day too. The sky was grey, and my heart even darker. I curled up in my small room, convinced the world had turned its back on me. At that moment, the rain felt like a symbol of loneliness, of failure, of a life adrift.

But then came another rainy day, months later, when things had settled down a bit. I was sitting on the balcony, holding a warm cup of coffee, quietly listening to the rain. The rain hadn’t changed—but my heart had. I found the rain gentle, pure. I felt grateful to simply sit there, in silence, no longer running away from sadness.

And I realized: rain isn’t sad or happy. It just is. It was I who had attached emotions to it, based on how I was seeing life at the time.

The Journey of Looking Within

A friend once asked me:

“When you’re sad, are you really sad? Or are you just believing the story your mind is telling?”

That question haunted me for a long while. I began observing myself every time I felt hurt. I realized that more often than not, the pain didn’t come from what actually happened—but from what I believed about it. That “I’m not loved,” that “they don’t understand me,” that “I’m not enough.”

Sometimes, those thoughts are nothing more than… a story.

Since then, I’ve learned to return to myself and practice three steps:

Acceptance: Not denying my emotions, but not labeling them right or wrong either. Deep understanding: Asking where the root of the pain lies—is it a fact, or a fear? Letting go: Instead of trying to control everything, allowing emotions to pass through naturally.

Each time I manage to do that, I feel a little freer. A little lighter.

If these words made you feel accompanied in any way, I invite you to leave a comment. And if you know someone who might need a bit of peace today, please share this piece with them.

Who knows—on some rainy day in their life, they too might learn how to smile through the sadness.