A Rainstorm

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The weather hasn't been so nice in Provo recently. To be fair, it hasn't been snowing, which I am very happy about. If it were, I'd probably drop out of school, pack my bags, and permanently vacate this town for sunnier places. But it isn't, and I'm still here. What the weather has been doing recently can be most accurately described as 'spitting.' It lets loose little bursts of misty drops every so often, but never quite makes it to a full-fledged rainstorm. This tends to psyche me out more than I'd like; do I bring an umbrella? Wear a jacket with a hood? Or not worry about it at all?

Today, I'm sad to say that I made the wrong decision. It wasn't raining when I woke up, though I did vaguely remember getting a little wet during the night before I closed the window above my bed. Well, actually my memory was that someone was throwing water at my face, and I was yelling at them to stop, but upon a little further reflection, I don't think that was the case. Anyways, since it wasn't raining, and the day seemed to hold the promise of sunshine, I thought I would be safe without any form of rain protection at all, and walked out the door with nothing but a t-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops to protect from the elements. I should have known Provo better.

Sam read me a quote the other day that was something along the lines of "If you don't like today's weather, wait fifteen minutes and it'll be different." I think that describes Provo perfectly. Because when I walked out of class today, it was pouring. Not sprinkling, not spitting, not even lightly drizzling. Pouring. And what choice did I have, but to walk home in it. So I did. And walked through my front door ten minutes later looking like I'd just gone swimming. So much for getting ready for the day, because I just had to do it all over again.

But as I reflected on it later, I realized I didn't really mind getting drenched. I actually like the rain. There's something about it that fascinates me, and it sounds really cool on the roof. Plus, playing in the rain is one of my favorite outdoor activities, right up there with swinging (as long as I can change my clothes soon after, because I hate wet clothes). I know it's a little weird, but today I'm grateful for my unexpected drenching. It reminded me how much I love the spontaneity of nature. Unless it involves snow, that is.