Cracks and Clarity

When the Rains Come: How Termites—and Life—Find Their Way In

A Life Coaching Lesson from Nature’s Uninvited Guests

Rain has a curious way of waking the world up. The soil softens, the air thickens and suddenly, the unseen becomes active. If you’ve ever lived through a heavy spring or early-summer rainfall, you know exactly what I’m talking about: the sudden appearance of termites.

Just after rainfall, when temperatures rise and humidity hugs the earth, termites take it as an invitation - a signal that it’s time to emerge, explore and expand. Homeowners may panic, but nature is simply doing what nature does: responding to conditions that make growth possible and if we pay attention, there’s a life lesson buried in those damp spring days.

Rainfall Creates Openings — For Termites and for Us

Termites don't show up because your home is failing; they show up because the environment suddenly became favourable.
In the same way, challenges in life don’t appear because you are inadequate. They often appear, because conditions around you have shifted.

A career transition, a breakup, a financial setback - these moments are rainfall. They unsettle the soil, they soften your foundations and they create openings and when openings appear, something always enters.

Sometimes it's opportunity, sometimes it's doubt and sometimes it's a swarm of new responsibilities.

The question is not “Why did this happen?”
The question is “What will I allow in?”

Spring and Early Summer: Seasons of Growth, Inside and Out

During spring and early summer, rising temperatures trigger termite swarms, but they also signal something in us: a natural urge to grow, reorganize, clean, rebuild.

This is the season when:

• We crave fresh starts

• We see possibilities we missed in winter

• We feel energized to take action

• We notice the cracks in our routines and relationships

Termites exploit cracks.
People evolve because of them.

Those cracks - your frustrations, your discomfort, your worn-out habits - aren’t weaknesses. They’re doorways. Rainfall doesn’t create them; it simply reveals them.

What Termites Teach Us About Readiness

Termites take flight only when the conditions are exactly right. They have one mission: to form something new.

They don’t second-guess.
They don’t wait for certainty.
They don’t ask for permission.

They move when the moment is ripe.

What would happen if you allowed yourself the same instinct?
What if, instead of hesitating:

• You acted when the energy felt high

• You leaned into the opportunities that suddenly appeared

• You trusted the timing, even if it looked messy

• You allowed the “rainfall moments” of life to become invitations instead of interruptions

Growth doesn’t ask for your comfort.
It asks for your readiness.

Protect Your Space, But Don’t Fear the Swarm

Just as homeowners fumigate, seal entry points and maintain their foundations to prevent termite damage, we must protect our inner world:

• Reinforce your boundaries

• Strengthen your routines

• Clear out the mental clutter that attracts unwanted “pests”

• Notice early signs of stress, burnout or negative influences

But don’t confuse protection with avoidance.

Life will always send swarms - ideas, emotions, challenges, opportunities - after a storm. Your job isn’t to stop them from appearing.
Your job is to choose which ones you allow to stay.

When the Rain Falls, Pay Attention

The next time a spring or early-summer rain settles in and you notice the sudden buzz of termites or the earthy smell of softened soil… pause.

Ask yourself:

• What is shifting in my life right now?

• What has the “rain” revealed?

• What is trying to enter my world - an opportunity, a habit, a fear, a calling?

• Is this a moment to fortify my foundation or a moment to start building something new?

Because rainfall isn’t just weather.
It’s a reminder:

Growth begins when the environment changes.
Transformation begins when you respond.

With you on the journey,
– Storm Reagan
Life Coach | Lived Experience Guide