The Refreshing Power of Rain

i am a huge advocate about the little things in life.  anyone who keeps up on the blogs knows that i don't fancy myself with the big things in life.  things such as shopping, going to see films all the time (i honestly don't remember what the last film i saw in theaters was, though i know my next is going to be the new Superman and Iron Man films when i get off house arrest), spending money on an array of video games, or even monthly subscriptions to things such as Warcraft.

i prefer the cheaper things in life.  going for walks or just sitting down with loved ones and friends playing card/board games.  don't get me wrong when it comes to Brandon i do splurge every now and then.  not on anything like a ton of clothes or anything expensive, but i will every now and then get him something small i know he has been wanting for awhile, or my favorite, showing up at the house with a small bouquet of flowers.  it's something we both can look at and enjoy while it sits on the counter or table.

this morning i woke up to the gentle pitter patter of rain drops gently falling outside.  it's 5 a.m. so in this small town the plus side to it is there is very little traffic outside.  to be honest, since i know it's happening, sitting here writing this really sucks because i would rather crawl back into bed with him, gently wrap my arms around him as he sleeps and just lay there and cuddle.  i'm a major cuddle bug, so any chance i have when a setting is like this, i like to cash in on it.

the rain is a great excuse for two people to cuddle.  i used to know this elderly couple, this was years ago, that were romantic to each other until their last days together.  when they would wake and it would be a gentle rain like this, they would sit on their porch under a blanket, he would wrap his arms around her, and they would sit there in silence as the rain gently fell.  they wouldn't say a word.  i asked them one day how they could sit there for hours and not say a word, mind you i was a lot younger than i am now when i said this.  the man just looked at me and said, "it's the time you spend together that matters most in a relationship. the things you do, not the things you say.  we have sat out there like that every time it has rained since we got married, because it rained on our first date."  he then looked over at her and grabbed her hand and looked back at me.  "we were supposed to go to the movies that night.  i showed up and she was all dressed up ready to go and there i was with a blanket wrapped around my arm."  a smile came across her face as she told me this story.  "i looked at her and said, 'let's just enjoy this for awhile.'"  that's when she looked at me and said, "from that moment on, each time it rains we sit on the porch like we did that night.  he would hold under the blanket and we would just sit there."  of course being a young kid at the time i asked what film they say and she looked down and said, "we never left the house."

as a couple the rain as this amazing ability to wash away all our troubles and all our worries.  all the stress that has built up until that point is washed away.  a gentle rain fall, for a couple, is like God's way of saying, "stay strong.  take this time to forget about everything and just reunite, even if only for a moment."

don't get me wrong, it's not just for couples either.  the rain can do the same for anyone single, couple, friends, or even sitting out doors with your pets.  last year when i had a porch at the house i was living in, i would sit outside with my little kitten Nalla and we would just sit out there for hours as the rain fell around us.  she could curl up on my lap or on my shoulders and fall asleep.  with a pet, sitting out doors at a moment like this, has a major bonding effect.  like in some magical way it takes the two of you, pet,loved one, friends, it doesn't matter, and brings you and them closer together spiritually.

though as a child you viewed a time like this as fun.  you would run around dancing, laughing and playing, looking for earth worms, all the while your mom is standing inside getting more and more angry cause she knew no matter what she said, you were going to come in and track mud in the house.  she didn't know where or how, she just new she was going to find it somewhere.  it's the time you spent together with them, the bonding experience you two or group had.  yeah you did stuff together all the time, at the park or at school, but think about it just for a moment.  think about how everything disappeared when you were out playing in the rain.  think about how there was no stress, no problems, no school, it was all there at the moment.  it was all then and nothing else mattered.

to me the rain is very therapeutic and i am almost sure everyone will agree.  it is why there are a lot of items on the market that mimic the sound of rain, yet nothing can quite pin it down like the actual rain can.  the sound of a gentle rain fall has the ability to make you forget everything around you.  like when you were a child, the rain makes you forget your worries, even for a moment.  as you sit there and listen to it fall around you, you get caught in the moment.  you get caught in the memories of your childhood when you would go find those earthworms.  watching them crawl up out of the ground and ever so slowly inch their way across the side walk.  it was one of the most mesmerizing things watching them slowly inch their way threw life.  yet you couldn't help but laugh and poke and then after a moment, you would crouch down (because even as a kid the earth worm has a way of making you forget the fun your having) and just watch.  you had to.  one end stretching out and the rest retract back pulling itself back together.  (don't tell me you didn't picture it happening in your mind as you read that)  it amazed you.  you wondered how it happened, yet always forgot to ask your teacher.

the rain, like the earth worm, is an amazing creation by God.  one of the few things in life we really can't explain because they are so simple and so plain, yet so breath taking.  if you allow them, if you open yourself up to the thought of a child, even for a moment, they both allow you to forget life even for just a second and realize that things aren't as bad as they seem.  i bet right now you are thinking, "i never thought of it that way."  many people don't.  i talk about how busy we are in life these days that we forget about the simple things, the little things that are so astounding they can remind us how great life really is.

next time you are home, and the rain begins to fall, i urge you to grab your loved ones and pull out a blanket and shut off the lights.  grab some hot cocoa or your favorite childhood beverage and sit on the porch sit near an open window.  those ill and in a hospital bed, call the nurse and ask her to close the door, shut the lights off and open a window.  get out of the bed or have them push you as close as those hoses and wires will let you.  if you're there alone ask your favorite nurse to hop into bed with you or sit next to you.   everyone get under the blanket and allow yourself to get close to one another again.  quietly sit there for a moment, take in some deep breaths.  allow the fresh air to over come you.  enjoy it and embrace it.  and just sit there.  let the moment take you in, allow yourself to escape from life.  allow yourselves to go on a journey together.  create a memory that will last a life time because when your daughter gets older, when your son has a child of his own, or those with illnesses that will be stuck in a hospital bed in the future, this is the moment you will talk about.  this is the moment that will bring a smile on your face the next time you hear the rain fall outside the window, this will be the moment that will bring tears to your eyes because this will be the moment that will mean the most to you.  it will be that moment where the two, three, four, or who knows how many of you sat and allowed yourself to bond.  you allowed yourself to forget about life for awhile and bond, to become one.  it's that moment that will last a life time and beyond