When’s the last time you took a long walk in the rain? Been awhile, right?
This past week I woke up and got ready to walk our two dogs. There was a steady rain pounding our roof. It sounded soothing. I put on a hat and rain jacket, then entered the water-logged morning.
Heading up our gravel driveway, the smells of the earth came to me. It made me think about the last time I’d casually strolled outside as rain fell.
For the past 13 years, we lived in Grapevine, part of the north Texas metroplex in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It’s hot there for four months every year, with very little rain from June through September. When it does rain, it tends to come down in dangerous thunderstorms and in a torrent, then magically and quickly disappears. It is not conducive for a fun walk or safe to be outside during those types of storms.
When we lived there, our family often lamented the fact that we didn’t get slow, steady, rain that came down evenly over a long period of time. The type you could stroll in, and enjoy the surroundings.
Instead, when one of the thunderstorms approached, you wondered whether there would be a hail storm with it that destroyed your car and whether you had brought everything inside that might blow away with accompanying wind blasts. One day, I found my exercise ball, which we kept on our front porch, blown 80 yards across the street. I still have a picture of that somewhere.
The point is, it’s probably been 13 years since I went out for a walk in the rain and safely enjoyed it. You forget how good it feels.
Last week as I headed up the driveway in Wisconsin, I breathed through my nose, let the chirping birds surround me with their songs. The dogs sniffed the grass, checked the woods for turkey, fox, deer, raccoons and rabbits, all critters hanging in the woods around us. Off they went. I trudged on.
The rain increased its pace as I got to the street, headed north, then west, then into a nearby neighborhood with no traffic. The dogs ran. I contemplated.
The “pock pock pock” sound of water pellets hitting my jacket provided a meditative state. My hat grew saturated, my running shoes soaked. Puddles deepened. I splashed through them.
Quickly, trying to keep clothes dry became pointless. I embraced the wet. It cleansed. It washed away some of the worries we all carry around.
Somehow, I think water does that through the shear nature of it coming down to earth. It “washes” us, and in the process washes away some of our baggage, in addition to washing the air clean. Everything smells fresh afterwards.
I think that is one of the huge things I missed living in a hot thunderstorm climate for 13 years – the cleansing spirit of steady rain. It is good for the mind, soul and earth. We need it personally, and the planet needs it to rejuvenate.
I wish more people got up and took a walk in the rain. I think we’d all feel a better about our days. We’d connect to nature. We’d be a bit more relaxed about some of the stresses of the day. We’d improve our perspective.
Here’s to a good steady day-long rain in your life. May you walk in it.
This past week I woke up and got ready to walk our two dogs. There was a steady rain pounding our roof. It sounded soothing. I put on a hat and rain jacket, then entered the water-logged morning.
Heading up our gravel driveway, the smells of the earth came to me. It made me think about the last time I’d casually strolled outside as rain fell.
For the past 13 years, we lived in Grapevine, part of the north Texas metroplex in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It’s hot there for four months every year, with very little rain from June through September. When it does rain, it tends to come down in dangerous thunderstorms and in a torrent, then magically and quickly disappears. It is not conducive for a fun walk or safe to be outside during those types of storms.
When we lived there, our family often lamented the fact that we didn’t get slow, steady, rain that came down evenly over a long period of time. The type you could stroll in, and enjoy the surroundings.
Instead, when one of the thunderstorms approached, you wondered whether there would be a hail storm with it that destroyed your car and whether you had brought everything inside that might blow away with accompanying wind blasts. One day, I found my exercise ball, which we kept on our front porch, blown 80 yards across the street. I still have a picture of that somewhere.
The point is, it’s probably been 13 years since I went out for a walk in the rain and safely enjoyed it. You forget how good it feels.
Last week as I headed up the driveway in Wisconsin, I breathed through my nose, let the chirping birds surround me with their songs. The dogs sniffed the grass, checked the woods for turkey, fox, deer, raccoons and rabbits, all critters hanging in the woods around us. Off they went. I trudged on.
The rain increased its pace as I got to the street, headed north, then west, then into a nearby neighborhood with no traffic. The dogs ran. I contemplated.
The “pock pock pock” sound of water pellets hitting my jacket provided a meditative state. My hat grew saturated, my running shoes soaked. Puddles deepened. I splashed through them.
Quickly, trying to keep clothes dry became pointless. I embraced the wet. It cleansed. It washed away some of the worries we all carry around.
Somehow, I think water does that through the shear nature of it coming down to earth. It “washes” us, and in the process washes away some of our baggage, in addition to washing the air clean. Everything smells fresh afterwards.
I think that is one of the huge things I missed living in a hot thunderstorm climate for 13 years – the cleansing spirit of steady rain. It is good for the mind, soul and earth. We need it personally, and the planet needs it to rejuvenate.
I wish more people got up and took a walk in the rain. I think we’d all feel a better about our days. We’d connect to nature. We’d be a bit more relaxed about some of the stresses of the day. We’d improve our perspective.
Here’s to a good steady day-long rain in your life. May you walk in it.