Rain

A day in the park.1


Sounds fun.2

Sitting on a bench in the middle of the afternoon in Central Park. Around me there are children. Their smiles fill me far too much with envy. A bit of nostalgia crosses my mind. Ignorance, paired with bliss and mixed in with the notion of freedom, happiness and joy. I recall being that way once. When you can just run around without having to worry about what happens next.3


Time runs, and we age. The ignorance slowly fades, and we tend to worry. The many things that fill our lives are the sole reasons of our anxiety. We often find it hard to simply release every inch of tension, and wallow in simple reveries, for the world brings unrelenting worry and pain. It is no matter of how much pain you go through, rather, it is how you deal with what you're bearing. A good release and channeling can minimize every aspect, however, we can't master this art.4


I shoot the bottle of Coke I held in my hand into the garbage, and miss. I give out a loud sigh and get up. As I bent down to grab it, a drop of water trickles down my cheek. With the bottle now in hand, I look up to the sky, bemused. Soon, coming down from the sky came more droplets. It was raining. Ugh. Rain. I hate rain. It's dismal. It's cold. It makes the ground muddy and it defiles the surrounding with dirt and melancholy. It drags in some despondent feeling into our minds; adds gloominess and dread into our day.5


I have an umbrella, but for some reason, I don't reach for it. I close my eyes and let every drop fall onto my skin, soak my clothing and cleanse me. I let it take away every pain, wash away all the worry, even for just a moment. And in this sanctuary, I release. I cry. I scream. I roar. Because under the rain, you are enveloped in your own world. The roaring silence grants you seclusion. So I embrace the rain, the rain I dread. I find it is not at all just here to litter the day with despair. It is rather one thing that clears the dirt away, strip the unwanted grime from the surface and brings it elsewhere.6


And so the sun comes out of hiding, and the clouds steer clear of its way. The rays shine on the rain drenched earth and bring light to the eyes. I see myself clean. Yes, my shoes are muddy, my socks are no longer white, and my clothes are soaked, but I am clean. No longer do I feel burdened with misery. The chains that had once bound me to a world that revolved only around sadness, rage, torment and agony have broken. I am free.7


And today, I am ever grateful. For the chance to rid myself of those confinements. To be in that sanctuary even for just a moment, surrounded by a bubble of my world and be isolated from everything else. To be under such a freeing sensation.8

To be under the rain