One of life’s everyday miracles is making it home just before the rain. But what about the opposite? What about the days when you can neither avoid the rain nor wait for it to pass? When you have to step out into the wetness? Well, even those days still have the potential for wonder.
It’s been a rainy week in my neck of the woods. On Friday, I went to a local city festival, an annual tradition. I still had to use my windscreen wipers when I drove there, but as soon as we arrived at our host’s pregame party, the rain finally stopped. As a result, the air was cool and fresh, and the usual crowds made way for a smaller group of visitors that made it easier to get from stall to stall.
On Saturday, the second day of the event, we were caught in a thunderstorm at 10 PM. We spent an hour huddling together with ten strangers under the flimsy roof of some stall selling trinkets — but it was also the hour in which we ended up taking the best group picture of the weekend. When the rain finally slowed down, we all sprinted, first to a bar, then to our friend’s house for our annual post-event cheese platter. That, too, was rather memorable.
Yesterday, it once again rained all day. When I got into my car to meet some friends for dinner at 7 PM, the drizzle finally ceased. The clouds even dared to reveal some low evening-sun. As I was driving up a hill, the sun spotlit the trees of an alley, from which drops were still falling, seemingly in slow-motion. It was beautiful — the kind of moment you only get when you’re out after the rain.
Every now and then, we win the weather jackpot. Whenever we don’t, hope is not lost. Sometimes, you need a problem only to remember how good it feels to not have it — and sometimes, you have to first get wet to witness the magic that happens after the rain.