A Moment in the Rain

Tonight is the first spring rainstorm. As I sit next to my open bedroom window, anticipating the first rumble of thunder, I can't help but be content. What is it about thunderstorms that makes everything seem so mellow? Cool gusts of air carry the scent of fresh rain into my bedroom and everything else seems just a little bit quieter. I can hear the light tinkle of the wind-chime on our patio, and the sounds of television and laughter downstairs is the only interruption to this sweet moment of meditation.

I love to be outside during a rainstorm. I've always found ways to sit and enjoy the soft, soothing sounds of drops hitting the trees and ground. One year it was my apartment balcony, alone with a glass of wine, sunk into a canvas chair, wrapped tightly in a blanket to shield me from the cold breezes. Last year it was the patio overhang outside of my window, guarded from the shower by a few feet of roof up above. I used to see people as they left the nearby bars, and they had no idea I was watching from above as they scurried down the sidewalk and into their warm cars and houses.

There are two very different kinds of rainstorms. The cold storms, that cover your body in goosebumps and make you crave the warmth of your own bed. And then there are the warm storms that, if you're like me, make you want to stand with your face to the sky and let the water soak through your hair and clothes. I can't say which of these I like better, I suppose it depends on the experience. A warm day of puddle jumping with a friend in a watery parking lot is difficult to compare to a cool night of solitary contemplation on the balcony.

I don't know exactly what it is- the smell, the sound, or the feeling of it, but I do know that I'm always a little bit happier during a rainstorm.

The shower outside has slowed, for now. But I look forward to these unexpected moments of felicity in the next few months. It's going to be a wonderful spring.