When the Rain Comes

Having composed such heavy material for the past several posts, I thought it was time to present a lighter fare for awhile. So let’s talk about the weather. What a comfortable topic, especially because it can diffuse almost any awkward social situation. In this instance, I am thinking about the rain that has graced the desert over the past few days. For many the drippy weather was the source of inconvenience and in some cases it thwarted plans. I however am always drawn into dreamy landscapes once the skies begin to swell. Held captive to childlike imagination, my heart soars amidst the dramatic display of darkening clouds and ensuing rainfall.

As scenes from Jurassic Park and Lord of the Rings come flooding in, my ridiculous obsession with turning rain into romance becomes increasingly evident. I think about taking a drive into the misty mountains or ascending a peak rising from a dark green forest. At the same time my couch beckons and I am tempted to spend a day reading an adventure while listening to Enya. These thoughts and feelings are as tangible to the senses as the smell of rain. The brief respite of sunlight creates warmness in my soul, an inspiration that exceeds all others. Swept away into cool bliss, I soak up songs sung by the forces of nature colliding to ignite their heavenly exchanges.

Writing about my youthful affinity for something as simplistic as grey skies and precipitation reminds me that I am not above appearing somewhat cloying. Being overly sentimental is the story of my life, and I see no change in my future in that regard (this is where I would insert one of those cheesy smiley punctuations made from a colon and a parenthesis). It is life’s simplicities though, that tend to elicit such incredible excitement, reminding us of what it means to be alive and take in our surroundings. So when the rain comes, it is likely that I will be dreaming off into the distance somewhere with my “head in the clouds,” brooding in the spiritual retreat that reminds me I am alive.