Passing Through
A torrential deluge gifted us with a half inch of rain yesterday afternoon. It fell so hard and fast, however, that most of it probably ran off. Still, it came and this morning when I walked outside the air was heavy with moisture and as I tipped the trash can to walk it out to the street the moisture wet my hand as it ran off the lid.
This marks quite a change from the summer, which was dry, nearly beyond belief, and saw fires breaking out with regularity. I saw a brush pile burning the other day. Hardly something anyone would have dared try just weeks ago. But the ground is wet, the wind is low, the humidity high, and I suspect no one will fault the burner even though a burn ban is still in place.
I like how rain softens things, including the human heart, people just seem happier when it rains. I was coming into the mall yesterday as an earlier storm started in Austin and a stranger coming out greeted me with a smile and kind words about the storm sneaking up on us. I agreed and proceeded on with a bounce in my step. And when I came out the rain really started pounding down, and it was hard driving, but I went slow, and then I drove through the storm, and there was sunlight. And isn’t that just like life? Storms then sunshine.
John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale