Day 69: Why I Love the Rain

It has been intermittently raining island-wide (I think) for about 24 hours now.  It's unusual for our house because we're the dry side of the island, and even at the house it will be dry while two minutes away it's pouring.  So the rain has been a pretty big deal for us.  At the moment, all is quiet, but we're expected to get more rain tomorrow.

I'm somewhat looking forward to it because I love the rain.  I do miss good thunderstorms (those are rare out here), but it can rain with blue skies or be dark in one part of sky and blue on the other.  Only in Hawaii.  I find the rain to be very cleansing and calming, rarely ever gloomy.  The air gets cool and crisp, and the rain pouring around can make the air feel almost like it has a  vapor in it.  If I could without getting really cold or sick, I'd run out in the rain.  I'd stand under the clouds with my arms outstretched and face upwards, feeling the large cold drops fall on my face.  Take a sharp inhale in and accept the new, refreshing air that comes, smelling of grass.

The storm is so much fun to watch.  The clouds can look ominous, looming grey masses overhead.  Sometimes there are streaked grey stripes going across the sky.  Other times there is a mass of white vapor shrouding a town where the rain is pouring upon it.  The individual raindrops can keep one amused for hours.  You can watch the ripples the drops make into the puddles, stare as the rain pours from a rooftop, or admire the drops on the windows.  Those are most fun.  Drops are splattered on the window to look like Braille or fish scales.  Then the drops drip down.  You watch as the big drops gobble up the smaller ones or watch to see who will win the race to the bottom of the pane.

I also appreciate the sound of the rain, especially when it pours.  It makes me feel like something is happening in nature.  I even heard a bird chirping in the distance today, enjoying the free shower, I'm sure.  It sounds so rhythmic, especially if it falls on something metal.  It makes me want to curl up in something warm (like fuzzy socks or a blanket) and either stare out the cool window for a while or burrow under my covers with a good book.  I did some of that today, but the rain never lasts long enough.

The rain gets bad though when people are caught out in it, when it causes accidents on the road, or when it causes some flooding or other damages.  Let's hope none of that happens tomorrow.