Not fond of the rain

It was before three today when a heavy rain burst through the roof and woke me from my weekend afternoon nap. I was ready to rise from bed by then, but it was the call I needed. I took off the earbuds I carried to sleep and soon heard the children’s scream from the community center outside our house. The kids are madly wild even when the weather is grumbling.

As an adult, I have developed a disliking for the rain. First of all, Sky, one of my dogs, becomes uneasy when the clouds cry. It’s the sound that it makes that scares her. It’s also the sound for me. But most of the time, the idea that I have to hold off some of the errands I wanted to accomplish outside.

The rain is one of nature’s ways to limit an individual’s superpowers—and inclination to speed through life. When the clouds pour down refreshments for the crops and the trees, the people are to settle down and make artificial hot drinks while waiting by the window for the show to stop. This is why I cannot be fond of the rain. But also because:

“When it rains, I remember your name.”

I have become adept at ignoring people and caring less about the external world beyond my control. But inside, when the water swells up my wounds, I remember some of the pain as if they made it to my system just yesterday.

These memories somehow take different shapes through time. Today, they appear less scary. Some good music makes it bearable. Facing them is one way of addressing them. Waiting for them to leave, which will take some more time, is another. So, I let them linger until they can no longer touch me.

Harry’s House, my latest favorite album, is on queue while I draft this. Sky is on my feet, taking in warmth and security from my presence this weekend. The rain is almost coming to an end. Such is the phase when I regain my composure again and yield my power as the rain recedes.

Music, dogs, and home are a few of life’s gifts that signify security. They help redefine the meaning of rain for me. By the time the soil soaked up all of its remainders, I will be ready to go out again.