;)
August 25th, 2023
Many of us despise rain — especially when it happens day after day. It gives way to rapidly growing weeds, potential flooding, and muddy dog prints tracked throughout our homes. Sometimes it drastically hinders our plans, completely altering, or even cancelling activities.
I take rain personally. After all, it always makes for a disastrous hair day — guaranteed. My body seems to ache endlessly when rain is on the horizon. I get a dull headache that will not go away. Also, I never feel fully awake on such days.
What if rain is just gone for an extended period? What if it just disappeared? That is unimaginable to me given my geographical location but desired many times. It’s easy to forget that we don’t all experience the same climate as we go about our busy lives. You just tend to forget.
When my son graduated college, he relocated to Austin, Texas, where he is living his best life. He loves the hot days. He loves the dry days. The average rainfall in Texas is a mere 27 inches a year. He hasn’t seen rain most, if not all, summer.
After being transplanted to Texas a few years now, he never complains about the heat. This summer has had the longest stretch of triple digit days in Austin. At the end of July, it was at the 45-day mark, surpassing the record 40 days. This has continued throughout the entirety of August. That makes even someone like me (who thrives in the hot weather) wince a little. Schwoo, that is one long hot flash.
There he is though, no complaints at all. He goes about his days and nights as if it was no big deal.
A few weeks back — I typically watch the news and weather in his city (always must watch so I know what’s happening) — I asked, “Are you getting this rain they are reporting about or whatever the case may be?” Generally, the typical answer is “Nope.”
He answered quickly on this occasion though. My son said, “Mom, I think I forget what rain even looks like.” Imagine that. While it is true Austin does not get much rain throughout the year, this summer things have been extraordinarily sparse. Triple digits. No rain. Sounds great, I guess, until it’s gone. Until, that is, the rain seems non-existent and the hot, hot days are endless. My son and I both love that environment, but for others it’s not quite as welcome.
As we always share important parts of our daily lives, I rarely get a text or call from any of my adult children during the day unless something major is happening I should know about. Perhaps a necessity. Something groundbreaking.
Today, though, was a different day. I got the text. No “Hello, how are you?” The text merely read, “Finally, got rain.”
I found this rather comical and unexpected that he, too, longed for some rain, even if brief. For Austin, it was the most glorious news. It’s been quite a while now. I suppose the words “Rain, rain go away” should now have an added verse if you live in our great state of Texas, adding, “BUT make sure you come back.”
As we experience crazy, unpredictable weather all over the U.S. this year, some leading to disastrous outcomes, I suppose we should be grateful for the rainy days here and there. The sun, the wind and all the elements Mother Nature bestows upon us are important because you never know when it will stop or when it will come back.
And as we near summer’s end, I think, for the most part, I have a new-found love for the experience of all four seasons and plan to make the most of each. Not everyone can experience it quite the way we do in the northeast part of the U.S.
