Stages of Rain

It starts off with a soft pitter patter, drops falling slowly and gently on your skin as your strides start to quicken.  It’s not a big deal, just a few light drops.  You have an umbrella in your bag, but you decide to play chicken with Mother Nature and see how much she can dish out.  Your destination is still far away, but she hasn’t thrown anything at you yet that might make you even consider ducking away for shelter.  ‘Tis the calm before the storm.

The pitter patters slowly become heavier, with more volume per pit and pat.  Your jacket seems to be insulating your body well enough, though, and a hat on top of your head protects the rest of your exposed regions.  Is that the best you’ve got Mother Nature?  You’ve definitely felt worse before, and it doesn’t seem like a big deal.  You continue to walk towards your destination, unscathed.

But then it all starts to pick up.  The clouds’ tears are no long ignorable, soaking your hat and dampening your jacket.  Pits and pats are rapidly descending from the heavens, like bullets raining from the sky.  Guess I should probably take out that umbrella about now.  You reach into your bag and open your rain deterrent device, letting it act as a shield towards the skies.  You are not dry, but at least you are no longer getting wet.  Your destination is far, but you proceed with the utmost of confidence.

The bullets turn into streams, flowing freely towards the ground, towards your umbrella, and pouring off the edges.  This is getting pretty serious, I hope it doesn’t get too much worse.  The umbrella seems to be doing a good job of protecting you, as long as you don’t walk too fast.  Otherwise, the streams of water would trickle off the edge of your umbrella and head towards your body.  Slowly but surely, you walk with caution, hoping it doesn’t get worse.

The wind starts to blow more violently, sideways even.  You try to hold your umbrella at an angle to protect you from the violent snakes of water winding their way towards you, but their bite is hard and their venom courses through your clothes.  Is it even possible to stay dry in this type of weather?  Your umbrella breaks, leaving you helpless and wet.  You look at it in mourning and decide to leave it in the next trash can you happen to pass by.  Your jacket is water resistant, but not waterproof, and your hat has become a soggy mess.  You still have about 10 minutes to get home, so you start to run, hoping to preserve the tiny bit of dryness you still have going for you.

Running in a massive downpour, it seems, is not the best idea for staying dry.  The best course of action would be to be inside, but you are determined to make it home.  Running is making you tired, and you eventually decide to just walk at a steady pace, letting the rain take you over.  I’m completely soaked now, might as well embrace the water.  You stop caring about being wet and cold, oddly warming you up a bit.  You let the rain flow down your face, into your clothes, under your skin.  It begins to feel natural, like it would be the wrong thing to try to be dry.  You are one with the water, and it is a part of you.  The rest of your walk home is spent in complete bliss, enjoying every second of soaked goodness.  You have completely given yourself up to the rain.

You enter your apartment and immediately begin to feel like your skin doesn’t fit.  I wish I were back outside in the rain.  It doesn’t make any sense, but the lack of rain makes you long for the outdoors again.  You can’t sit on any of your furniture for fear of making your entire apartment wet.  Instead, you get into the tub and shower yourself with warm salvation, becoming one again with your greatest enemy and your newfound friend.