12 June 2021 – It’s the middle of the night, and there is a thunderstorm raging. The lightning is as bright as I have ever seen, and the thunder is loud enough to wake a person if they are sleeping. It’s been storming non-stop since about six o’clock last night and isn’t supposed to stop until late morning. I love every minute of it.

I have an affinity for rain. It is comforting and makes me feel safe. I am not sure why rain makes me feel this way, but it has for as long as I can remember. I usually sleep like a baby when it rains and storms. Tonight is an oddity. I’m just sitting here enjoying the raindrops on the roof and windows and the wind in the trees. The lightning is beautiful and bright enough to light up my surroundings. Despite the volume of the thunder, it is soothing. The quality of sleep on a rainy night is better than most any other. There have many times when I have trouble sleeping and try out those machines or sound apps that play the sound of a rainstorm, but they just don’t work the same for me. I need the whole experience of the storm, the sound of the rain, the drops on the roof and the pressure change. Bring on the rain.

Snuggling up with a blanket and a good book on a rainy day is heavenly. When it rains, it is difficult to get out of the house to do things without getting wet. Even getting to the office or the store is difficult. However, grabbing my favorite blanket and my latest read and curling up in a comfy spot is the best reading experience. Somehow the rain encapsulates me, and it is as if it is only me and the book. My best reading happens while it is raining when I become part of the story cut off from the rest of the world.

Walking in the rain is cleansing. It makes me feel as if everything is washed away and new. I have many memories of walking in the rain. Many times it happens because I get caught in the rain, but other times I seek it out. Just this week, I decided I would walk the dogs despite the ensuing rain. I was caught in the rain, and as it poured, I enjoyed the drops on my nose and the soaking of my hair. When I got back out of the rain, I felt refreshed. It was as if the rain had rinsed off the day so that I could start anew. Nothing else is quite as invigorating or refreshing. Bring on the rain. (I will admit I was also freezing, and it took a long time to warm up.)

There have been times in my life where I have wished for rain, not for the natural things it does for the earth but because I needed the rain to change my perspective on my life. Rain is neither good nor bad – instead, it is a new angle on my life. It reminds me to slow down, to read more, to walk more, to enjoy more and just to be. It is an opportunity for me to remember that although there are often things that make life more difficult, we can find enjoyment or solace in the fact that this too shall pass. Bring on the rain.