Drenched!

There wasn't a better way to say goodbye to the season of nourishment and get ready for a fresh start. Since childhood, I've always loved getting drenched in the rains. One of my oldest memories is of jumping about in my undies at my father's hometown, splashing water, and playing with my other kiddie cousins. As a teenager, I fell in love with the first rains of the season and would always be there on the rooftop terrace to welcome the monsoons.

After my mid-20s, however, I began distancing myself from the rains. I'd always find reasons to not go enjoy those first showers myself, and I'd be glad that the season was over. The months in between were just something to be put up with, and I made all kinds of excuses to avoid outdoor work. Since I started driving a car, I've hardly ever used my bike in the monsoons. Earlier, I would love to go for a ride when it was drizzling.

I've been longing to get back to that self who loved the rains, but I'd always find an excuse to not get soaked--something I completely enjoyed earlier. Finally, after 7 years, something snapped in me. It's the end of September and my neighborhood hadn't seen any rains in more than a week. Today, however, dark clouds gathered quite suddenly and it started pouring. A strong was flowing at the same time, and it cooled down the slightly warm air in the house. Before my brain could intervene with its usual nonsense, I scampered to the rooftop terrace and walked into the last showers of the season.

It was raining so heavily, I could barely see anything a few feet away. I walked around for half an hour or so, without shying away from the prickling cold, which paradoxically made me feel quite warm inside. I used to love this... being washed from head to toe by a shower from the sky, watching my palms and feet grow pale in reaction to the cold water, watching the goosebumps form on my skin and then subside, feeling a sense of calm descending on me as the water quietens the thoughts buzzing through my head... it's a happiness inducing experience! I had to control my grinning to avoid getting my insides washed with rain water :D

As the rain subsided, the thick clouds parted and the sky got ready to shimmer in its beautiful evening colors. The neighboring buildings were soaked and so were the neighboring hills. Water gushed into the rivulet that flows close by and large birds perched atop trees until they could fly again. It seemed like nature's way of reassuring us that everything's alright.