Ah, rain!

I love the rain. There is something calming and peaceful about it - the sound on the roof or on the window, the coolness it brings, the fresh smell.... No matter what, whenever it rains I feel a sense of calm and peace. Now, I'm not a fan at all of thunderstorms (especially ones that bring the type of hail that damaged my truck a few weeks back :-\), I like the type of soaking rain that soaks you to your core.

I guess it really comes from three years spent in Manchester. I have a lot of memories of walking home from work in the rain. Even though I walked through the heart of the city centre to get from my work to my halls of residence, I always felt like I was on my own. No one bugs each other when its raining. Its like this silent march, everyone getting to their destination as fast as possible without detouring. My usual route home took me through Canal Street. Most of the time, the scent of stale alcohol with a hint of vomit hung in the air, but when it rained, it was clean and fresh. I loved walking this way in the rain, even though the wet cobbles were even more difficult to navigate. Of course when I arrived home I would always be soaked! But nothing a cup of tea and a fag couldn't sort out.

I think the reason why I love the rain so much is because it reminds me of this time in my life where I found it very easy to run away from my problems. It wasn't an easy time in my life by any means, but I had the support of some wonderful friends who helped to prop me up. And I loved the solitude that I had, the ability to be alone in the city with swarms of people around constantly. It was a very different life than the one I have now. Even though I love being a wife and a mother, there are times when I look back and wonder why I ever left. Obviously God had other plans for me, but I will always look at the rain and smile.