Rainy Day Contemplation …

I walked in the rain – on purpose  – I got wet (well, dampish) – on purpose.  I listened to the rain pit-pat on my umbrella.  I heard the sound of trees dripping and searched for their reflection in puddles.  I smelled the scent of the wet earth.*  I was alone on my walk – not another soul around; they were hiding indoors, afraid of getting wet; not me, I found it liberating – I enjoyed the singing of the birds which seemed louder than usual and their song echoed around me till I couldn’t guess which tree they were calling from.  It was a revelation; being aware and going with the weather instead of fighting against it.  The urge to make a dash for it was quashed – I didn’t exactly dance in the rain but could have had the mood taken me.

The next day the sun returned and I bought yellow tulips to celebrate.

On the fifth day, which was a Sunday, it rained very hard. I like it when it rains hard. It sounds like white noise everywhere, which is like silence but not empty.”
― Mark Haddon

Your body is drip-dry. You are not made of sugar and you won't melt in the rain. Most of us had concerned mothers who wouldn't let us step outside without being swathed in all manner of rain gear, and thought we would surely die if we got wet. You won't. Trust me. There is no reason to stop walking just because the rainy season has arrived. Whether it is April showers or autumn drizzle, you can boldly walk among the raindrops and survive.

via Health Matters

“The richness of the rain made me feel safe and protected; I have always considered the rain to be healing—a blanket—the comfort of a friend. Without at least some rain in any given day, or at least a cloud or two on the horizon, I feel overwhelmed by the information of sunlight and yearn for the vital, muffling gift of falling water.”
― Douglas Coupland

“Halfway home, the sky goes from dark grey to almost black and a loud thunder snap accompanies the first few raindrops that fall. Heavy, warm, big drops, they drench me in seconds, like an overturned bucket from the sky dumping just on my head. I reach my hands up and out, as if that can stop my getting wetter, and open my mouth, trying to swallow the downpour, till it finally hits me how funny it is, my trying to stop the rain. […] Instead of hurrying to higher ground, I jump lower, down off the curb, splashing through the puddles, playing and laughing all the way home. In all my life till now, rain has meant staying inside and not being able to go out to play. But now for the first time I realize that rain doesn't have to be bad.
― Antwone Quenton Fisher

“Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.”
― Roger Miller

And, of course, a lovely day ends in a beautiful sunset.

So there we have it -  my contemplation of a rainy day in February.  We have had hardly any rain where I live this winter, so I thought it deserved special mention.  Of course my view could well change if it rains all summer – but we won’t think about that just yet.

*Did you know there is a word for the scent of the earth after rain – Petrichor – invented by two Australian scientists in 1964 studying the smells of wet weather.

Footnote:  After walking in the rain and working in the garden in a cold wind I seem to have caught a chill – so much for going out in all weathers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!