Alchemy of Rain

It rained a bit this afternoon in the mountains.  When it stopped my best friend and I got the kids and went on a hike in the Florence Nature Preserve.  It was hot, humid, and sticky.  We could hear the thunder threatening in the distance.  The higher up we hiked the louder the rumbles of clouds echoed through the mountain.  There was an eerie feeling over the trails.  Stillness grows right before the storm.As with any hike those first few minutes trekking upward take my breath away.  They push me to a place of discomfort and then at some point it becomes invigorating.  It is the strangest feeling.  But, I take each breath slowly admiring the forest.  There are always two views to every hike: the going up and the coming down.  Both are in the same location but completely different in perspective.  Then the rain began to fall.  Droplets of water began bouncing off the trees, sneaking wetness here and there through the lush greenery.  The canopy of leaves held the water as long as it could, but when it let go it was refreshing.The four of us became giddy like little kids playing in puddles.  It was delightful.  The forest became a wonderland of joyous vibrant colors.  The light beamed and reflected on the ferns, leaves, grass and moss creating a hundred different shades of green.  It was like being in our own rainforest.  We could’ve been anywhere on a tropical island experiencing the afternoon showers.  I stopped at some point, closed my eyes, extended my arms out and allowed the baptism of the heavens to clean me.We laughed as the rain drenched us picking up our pace and acquiring mud all over with each step.  There is something so magical to hiking in a great rainstorm.  The water covers the body like a child in the womb.  To allow the moment to just be and enjoy the alchemy of rain is priceless.  Life is a composition of moments.  How we cherish those moments is up to us.  Do we take spontaneous serendipitous events and make albums full of spectacular memories? Or, do we frown on these sacred intervals as interruptions to our plans?  We can choose to paint our lives however we want.This afternoon hike with my kids (even though we dragged their butts out of the comfortable sofa) will be imprinted in their memories.   Part of life is leaving the comfort zone and stepping into the forest of the unknown.  And, if a little rain happens to fall consider it a gift from the Divine.“And in this moment, like a swift intake of breath, the rain came.”― Truman Capote, Other Voices, Other Rooms