Behind the clouds is the sun still shining

The title is a line from one of my favorite Longfellow poems, "The Rainy Day."  The poem is actually fairly dour, but with a touch of comfort in the end:

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
  Some days must be dark and dreary.

I've been thinking about this poem not because I'm having a terrible week but because it has actually rained a bit the past couple days, including during our rowing outing this morning.  I've never been on the water while there was so little light that it was hard to see exactly what everyone was doing in the weird blue dusky luminescence of a cloudy pre-dawn.

"But Sarah," you ask, "why on earth would you be out that early?"  Because, dear readers, I'm now rowing in the first boat.  Think of this as making the varsity team within the college.  Of course, it would be more of an accomplishment if it weren't for the fact that it's largely due to most of last year's first boat graduating.  Still, you have to take the opportunities that come along.  The schedule currently involves four early mornings in a row for training.  I enjoy getting my day going, and I'm more invigorated during most of it than I used to be, but by 9:30pm I'm ready for bed, which makes it hard to socialize...  I'm hoping my body will adjust so that I can do both.

Meanwhile, I haven't yet met with my supervisor, but every time we exchange emails she enquires whether I have more for her to read.  So I guess I'll try to put something else together, in addition to the items already sent.  I'm becoming a bit paranoid about what this means.  But worries will always be nipping at your heels, so I'm just plunging ahead.  Besides, the sun has now come out.  I shall celebrate by going to the library and writing about Julius Charles Hare's discussion of pronouns in Guesses at Truth.  That's a story for another time.  :)