Day 66: To dance in the rain…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlOML4JsTTY

“Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.”

 

 

Our high desert region is usually dry for most of the year.  We will typically see a little rain in the Fall and Spring seasons, and of course, we pray for snow in the mountains during the winter.  For whatever reason, the weather pattern has changed as of late.  We have been graced with a fair amount of daily rain showers and small thunderstorms that build up throughout the afternoon.

As I sat at my desk and watched the rain clouds as they began to form, I made the decision that if the clouds decided to dispense some of that liquid bliss, I would be willing to dance in the rain while being showered with that love.  And so, the decision was made and all I needed was a little rain to make my day!

I continued to work, all the while knowing that the clouds out in the high desert take a long time to build.  Having grown up in the Midwest, we would see some magnificent storms build throughout the day, but when they struck, it was with an incredible amount power and intensity.  I remember being back home and there would be days when there were unrelenting rain storms, wondering if it could ever stop and hoping to catch just one tiny break in the clouds to help maintain hope that the sun would shine again.  Such is not the case in the West.  When it rains, people step outdoors to relish the short storms that we are gifted.  With the air being so clean, the fresh scent of rain on lavender is unlike any scent I have ever experienced.  The raindrops in the West are lighter, the clouds not always as big in stature, but any rain is always refreshing and appreciated!

It was afternoon and the sky had now turned a dark grey and the winds had begun to pick up.  I wasn’t sure at this point whether a dance in the rain would occur. I couldn’t tell if a thunderstorm would develop or if a single raindrop would even fall over my tiny little spot on earth.  All I could do was continue to work. I watched the sky from the view I have from my desk for any hint of precip, hoping that the powers that be would let those sweet watery drops fall, so I could bathe in their glistening spirit!

And then, as quickly as I had sent my hopes out into the universe, I heard that sound… that pitter… patter… with a second-in-between sound, and the scent of rain had permeated my office.  I looked out my window and there on the ground were those light grey circles signaling it was time!

I ran to get my ballet flats, no time to change, but the turquoise cami and black skirt I was wearing, would just have to do!  I stepped out the door and I had my hair down, not having the time to put it up, and just stood in the rain as if I were being baptized with the liquid bliss I had so hoped for… I could feel the cool drops as they landed on my cheeks, arms, back, chest and shoulders.  It was a warm Summer day and the wetness on my skin felt like a flame being extinguished with each drop that touched.  I stood with my hands in my hair for just a moment and then I had that feeling… that feeling of just letting go and hearing in my mind the most graceful music to dance to…

Why dance in the rain?  Because I can…  The only ones in attendance were the aspen trees, lavender, some pine trees, rocks and the clouds… they all reserved judgment about a misstep or two.

As I flittered about the raindrops, the tiny splashes kept a constant slow beat following my every step and every move.  From twirls to pirouettes, to graceful steps of the waltz, I felt like I had been freed from a sort of constant restraint, or sense of conformity.  I was doing something most don’t take the opportunity to do and enjoying the breath of life that entered by soul.  I floated about, all the while knowing that like the clouds that pass, the rain would end soon enough.

By this time, my long hair was weighing on my shoulders and so I placed it up in a hair tie and continued to dance for however long the rain would fall.  As the raindrops became fewer, I found myself energized and satisfied, as if the rain had restored a youthful part of my spirit.  I could remember days of dancing with my Dad while standing on his feet as he led.  Part of me wondered what he would say about his grown daughter dancing in the rain… Something tells me he would have stood, watched and smiled.  Perhaps he was there in the rain and I didn’t even know it.

 

I took my last couple of steps as the rain began to taper to an occasional drop with many seconds in between, and like the music ending, so too did the dance in the rain….

The rain in this area is rare, and just as those delicate raindrops fell to the ground as a gift from above, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was all meant to be.

A Midwestern girl threw caution into the wind, wore her ballet shoes and engaged in a felicitous feeling from the rain that gently touched her warm skin and rejuvenated her youthful soul.  No one seemed to be watching…unless her best dance partner, from long ago, was there watching in that magical rain.  Remembering those moments with her Dad inspired her to let go and be free.

Today, it was a fresh and invigorating dance in the rain… wondering what tomorrow will bring…