Now, as adults, we use umbrellas and we (women especially) tend to run quickly from the house to the car so as not to mess up our hair. When we were kids, we didn’t care about our hair. Or our clothes. Or anything else about our appearance really. We lived in the “right-now” moment.
All we cared about playing and feeling good. The moments could stretch on forever and before we knew it, darkness would fall and we’d be getting called in for dinner. What changed?
We grew up.
We got responsibilities. We got proud. We got vain. We got self-conscious. And, we forgot.
We forgot what’s it’s like to play in the rain.
I was surprisingly reminded of this feeling recently. I headed outside for my run and thought, “Huh. Looks like rain.” Stupidly, I didn’t take a hat and assumed I would be quick and finish my run before the rain started.
I was wrong.
About a half-mile into my run, it started to rain. And I mean, it POURED! Within about five minutes, I was completely drenched and I actually had to slow to a walk because the rain was pelting my face so hard that I almost lost both of my contact lenses. I began to walk while I closed my eyes and shielded my face with my hands. Stumbling and shuffling down the puddle-filled sidewalk like a blind person, I managed to crack open one eye. Still protecting my face with one hand, I blinked fiercely and fished my finger around my eyeballs to make sure my lenses were securely in place. After several minutes, the rain seemed to let-up a little, so I tucked my head down, squinted my eyes and began my run again… Just as the reality of the situation hit me, I began to laugh out loud. Here I was, soaking wet, my clothes weighing about four pounds, socks squishing in my soaked shoes, and my ipod skipping and jumping from song-to-song…It was absurd! Madness, I say! But I figured I was already drenched, so I may as well just finish my run.
I continued running with a big, stupid smile on my face and let the cool refreshing rain shower over me. There’s something soul-cleansing and free about running in the rain. It was like all of my troubles were being washed away in those moments. I had no worries about what my hair looked like, if my outfit got ruined, or what I had to do later that day…I was in the moment. Feeling the pure miracle of what it is to be alive...the miracles of life that are in bloom and cycle through and continue on each day…and will continue on long after I’m gone. I was laughing and running and not worrying about anything else but the present.
It was a good reminder.
When we ‘grow up’ we have responsibilities. We have to take care of our families and loved ones. We have jobs. Chores. Bills. Dinner to make. Appointments to keep. People to meet. Our calendars get filled with duties and obligations and dates and games and practices and other such things… And before you know it, entire weeks pass by without us even being really present in them.
In all of the crazy day-to-day lives that we all lead, just remember to take a moment to stand in the rain. Forget the umbrella. Take a deep breath and let the falling drops wash your troubles away. It will bring you back to the moment you are in. It will do your soul good.
Trust me, you will find yourself smiling.