My
Rain, Our Rain
Rain is my favorite aspect of nature, and no matter what I
am doing I always enjoy its company. I
love to play sports in it, sit in it, watch it, listen to it, and especially
walk through it. There is nothing
more peaceful for me than to walk through the rain.
I donít mean just walking to class or to my car in the rain; I mean
going outside during a storm or a drizzle to walk amongst the raindrops.
You cannot worry about getting wet, or worry about your new shoes getting
muddy, because if you do then you will not experience the ìcleansingî that a
hard downpour can bring to your mind. For
me this experience is letting the water run down my body as it washes my worries
away.
Rain can go with any situation; as Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, ìNature always wears the colors of the spirit.î (489) This quote sums up the best part of rain, which is that it is always welcome in my life. If I am sad, it comforts me. If I am tired, it lulls me to sleep. If I am happy, it keeps a grin on my face. Rain is good for the ears, eyes, mind, and body. It can be musical, graceful, spiritual, and magical. Listening to the rain is one of the most tranquil experiences I can think of. I can sit in my room, or even better, sit outside and listen to it for hours. It clinks, clanks, splooshes, splishes, and splashes, and when it all comes together it sounds like natureís harmony. The Symphony of the Rain is what it should be called. The noise can get louder and faster, or quieter and slower. It just changes on its own and no one knows what is coming next. The element of surprise is what makes the melody of the rain such a wonderful thing. A beat is never repeated within its infinite number of storm choruses. Like Emerson says the music I hear from the rain depends on what mood I am in. If I am stressed out then I hear a quiet symphony that eases my tension, and calms my nerves. If I am excited or hyper then I hear a boisterous marching tune that is lively and energetic. And if I am tired, I hear a Brahmís lullaby that is in synch with my state of mind. My favorite time to listen to the rain is when I am going to sleep. Nothing in the world sounds better then the rain falling against a window or a roof when I am curled up in my bed.
On several occasions I went camping in Galveston with my family and it rained every night we were there. During these nights I got the best sleep of my life. The rain falling at night is an anesthetic for me, and I even believe that I dream better when it rains. The rains howl around the camper and sooth me to sleep. Whenever the rain puts me to sleep I seem to have deep memorable dreams, and we all know that these dreams are the best. When the Sandman comes to me on these occasions I greet him with a smile. When I am not sleeping in the rain by the beach I love to just be out in the rain. Whether it is night or day, sitting in the rain on a beach in south Texas is quite a sensation. You have the wind coming off of the ocean, the waves crashing on the beach and then rolling back to sea, and the raindrops dancing a few inches above the sand. I can sit in the rain on the beach for hours and think about anything.
This
thinking is where the spiritual effect of the rain is born.
The rain always helps me to think clearly about things.
The falling water calms my nerves, enables me to step back and look at
myself from a distance, and then answer whatever questions I have floating in my
mind. Whether it is a big problem
or a small problem I can think it out in the rain until a solution becomes
apparent. When I was trying to
decide which college I would attend, two years ago as a senior in high school, I
used this method. I came home from
school on a rainy day, went outback onto our deck, and sat in the rain for about
an hour. While I was out there I
let the rain fall freely on me until I was completely relaxed.
Once relaxed I thought about which was the right path for me to walk down
for the next four years. I weighed
the pros and the cons until my decision was made.
Of course I had to check with my parents and make sure this was ok, but I
guess you could say I checked with the rain first.
This may sound corny, but it is the truth.
I am able to clear my head when I go out into the weather and become part
of it. 
The
rain in one way or another transforms me.
If you have seen the movie Instinct, with Anthony Hopkins and Cuban Gooding Jr., you should know exactly what I am talking about. Towards the end of the movie Goodingís character is trying to get out of the rain one moment, and then the next moment he realizes that he should just enjoy it. Finally, he stops worrying about getting wet and sits down in the middle of the street. As the rain pours down on him a smile comes over his face and he begins to see the world in a simpler way. It changed him, and helped him find what he was searching for: a way to see the world more plainly. The rain can take a normally stressed-out, busy, and worried individual and change him or her to a calm and content person.
When I am out in the rain I also notice that along with altering myself the rain has the ability to alter civilization. It can make a concrete city almost look like a creation of nature. To see what I am talking about you have to want to see civilization in this way. Once you experience this transformation the first time it will be hard not to notice in the future. If you have ever walked in the rain and really looked at your surroundings then you would know precisely what I am talking about. A normal alley after a big storm looks like a small creek or river when there is water running through it. The potholes in the streets fill up and become unnoticeable. The precipitation in the air blurs the appearance of buildings and cars that usually stand out on a clear day. The sound of the rain hitting the ground, falling on leaves, and rushing down cement overwhelms the noise of society. With all of this happening the transformation from civilization to nature begins in the eye of the imagination. I strongly believe that the rain has the power to slow society down, and this is what gives it the ability to change civilization into nature. Watching this alteration is a very beautiful thing.
Watching the
rain can be spiritual in another way. It
can be so beautiful and overwhelming, and yet a lot of people take it for
granted. I, for one, do not take it
for granted. I can sit and watch
the raindrops fall for hours at a time, and never once get tired or bored of it.
At night the streaks of lightning act as if they were spotlights in a
play put on by Mother Nature. The
thunder is the orchestra in the pit and those awake at light listening become
the audience in natureís symphony hall. The
rain starts from the heavens high above where we cannot see, and it travels a
great distance to reach us. Once it
does reach our sight it wants to, deserves to, and needs to be seen.
My favorite part of watching the rain is seeing it plummet down in sheets
until the single drops explode on the ground.
The sheets of rain are like paintings hung on a wall for people to come
by and admire. The rain adds to
whatever background it falls in front of and gives the scenery a more natural
look. It can come down in every
direction possible and at many different speeds and amounts. As
described by Forrest Gump in the Army scene when he is walking through the
jungle. This diversity is what makes the experience of watching the rain never
get old. People should never get
tired of watching the rain because it is always different.
In many ways watching the rainfall can be likened to watching a fireworks display. The little explosions pop and dance off the ground every time a drop hits the surface of the earth. When a drop hits a puddle it pops back up into the air as if it were mirroring it. One drop plops into the water and the other pops up into the air. Then the drop sends ripples throughout the puddle in a circular motion; just like the smoke rings that float away from a firework that bursts in the sky. The picture above is a picture of rain splashing into a puddle during a storm. You can see the explosions and if these were to scale with fireworks in the sky, then they would be just as amazing to watch.
I am sure that many people disagree with my opinions about the rain. I am also sure that when it rains some people get annoyed and/or depressed. I am not saying that the rain is for everyone to enjoy as much as I do, but the rain is something to be enjoyed and cherished. Some people may not like to stand out in the rain, and they may run for cover when it starts, but in their minds they like it in one way or another. In their minds they wish for it during a drought, and wish for rain sometimes wish when they are having trouble sleeping. I may like rain more than most people, and I will not try to get everyone else to have the exact same opinion as me when it comes to the rain, but I will argue with anyone who says that they hate it. If you do say that you hate rain then you are looking at it from the wrong angle. Don't look at it as something that ruins the day, or gets your clothing wet; think of it as a break from the sun, and/or a time to relax. The rain is a good friend, and even if it is not your best friend you have to realize that it is a friend, and not an enemy.
I am also sure that many other people feel the same way I do about rain. I hear people talking about sleeping better because of the rain last night, or having a great time playing in the rain. At one time or another everyone likes a little rain, but for me I always enjoy a good shower of raindrops from the clouds. I do not wish that it would rain everyday, but I do wish that it would rain on a consistent basis. For some it might not be this way, but I believe the majority of people in the world like the rain; especially when they are trying to sleep. I know the rain makes it easier for me to fall asleep at night and it definitely makes it harder to wake up in the morning. Rain is a big part of peoplesí lives. Whether you live in Seattle where it rains all the time, or in Tucson, where it rains hardly at all, the rain will affect the way you live. It refreshes the earth and refreshes people at the same time. Vegetation would not survive without it and neither would civilization as we know it today. Rain entertains the ears, eyes, and minds of the world. It seems to relax everything and everyone it touches, and, as I said before, the rain is my favorite part of nature. Now you know my reasons why.
1.
The Harper American Literature, Third Edition, McQuade, D, Atwan, R, etc.