Rainy Delight

Like a broken record, the same sequence of events has repeated several times this year. Before I leave the house for my morning run, I check the sky. It looks overcast but not overbearing. Yet, as soon as I reach the farthest point in the park, it quickly darkens. I see the first drops splashing in the lake but the leaves overhead block them from reaching me. Two or three minutes more and the heavens open up. Soon the rain crashes through the canopy to drench me, cooling me from the oppressive heat.

I don't worry about catching a cold from the rain, having been drenched enough times to know it does little damage (but if you are used to showering in hot water, then beware.) The wind, though, blows hard with the rain and I do worry about falling branches. When running in that fierce rain I am constantly checking the trees overhead. Usually it is a smaller twig, or a cluster of green leaves that falls. The coconut trees however drop large fronds that tumble through the branches before coming to rest.

There is another advantage to looking up in the rain: the feel of cold water sprinkling on my face. It is one of the most delightful sensations in life. Think back to your childhood and how much fun getting caught in the rain was. The key of course is to surrender to the rain. Otherwise it is an unpleasant experience.

Along with the sensation of the drops on my skin is the smell of rain – that earthy, leafy fragrance that emanates from trees and grass and earth that the rain touches and reminds you it is good to be alive.

But still, like everyone else caught in the rain, I want it to stop soon –at first. Then I give in and enjoy it, while walkers and runners who refuse to get wet wait anxiously from their shelter in the park's small gazebo.

The water accumulates in the park's lawn but the grass hides it, and I only find out because my shoe sinks when I step on the grass which has become spongelike. In exposed, uneven soil, the puddles grow and merge with each other. Soon they submerge the smaller seedlings and plants dotting the ground whose tops still peek out desperately from the water.

My only nagging worry in the rain is my cell phone. It turns out that the strap I use for tying it to my arm (while running) also keeps it dry. Because it holds the phone in a vertical position, it catches few raindrops even in heavy rain.

The rain has covered my running path with masses of flowers and leaves: red krishnachura, purple jarul, leaves of various shapes, sizes and colours. As I charge through them, I keep hoping that the rain which keeps me mercifully cool will keep pouring until I finish my run.

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