There are few sounds as satisfying as the drumming of rain on
the roof so hard that it awakens one from sleep.
There are few sounds as satisfying as the drumming of rain on the roof so hard that it awakens one from sleep. It is pleasant to lie in a warm cocoon of lassitude and listen to it for a minute or so before dropping off to slumber again.
To a rural community such as San Benito County, rain at the right time of year means good crops, which translates into money. Many of our residents are growers or ranchers and we all, to some degree, have jobs that are linked to theirs.
Putting aside the monetary value of rain, it is welcome unless there is far too much of it or if one does not have to be out in it for long periods. No one minds getting a little wet in going from the car to the house, but it is different if a sudden cloudburst soaks you before you can get to shelter.
Age is also a factor in one’s attitude toward rain. Children from toddlers on up fully enjoy the excitement offered by a large rain puddle. Observe a child or a group of children on their way home from school when they come across such a delight. Rather than skirting it, as they had been instructed to do by their mothers, they determinedly splash through it with great glee.
Girls gradually abandon the process – after all, they will be mothers some day and will instruct their own children to avoid puddles – but boys have a natural affinity for standing water and will take full advantage of it.
Their parents may complain about risking a cold and the cost of shoes but it is usually Mom who repeats the lesson over and over. Dad may put in a word or two but the memory of the puddles he splashed through as a boy is too vivid for him to be very intolerant of his son’s misadventures.
Teenagers find another aspect of rain as they become aware of girls in a different light than just as pests. A boy waiting in the doorway of a school for a cloudburst to slacken finds it more interesting if a girl is next to him. The sense of a shared adventure draws them closer.
A young man who pulls his car over to wait for a storm to abate before driving on finds the wait infinitely more pleasant if a young woman is next to him. A greater sense of intimacy develops when a young man and woman caught in the rain find shelter in a cafe and discuss many topics over coffee.
On the other hand, it is hard to be philosophical when a long anticipated camping trip is deferred because of a storm. Everyone remembers a picnic abandoned early because of a sudden shower or of a car trip made miserable by muddy roads and rain-obscured vision.
Rain can be hard on old people because they cannot throw off colds or flu as easily as they did decades earlier.
It is often a trial for those workers who have to be out in it when most others have found shelter. Ask any emergency medical technician or law enforcement officer or fireman about how rain has affected their duties. Talk to the field worker whose livelihood depends upon the growing and reaping of crops however inclement the weather. Some of his worst memories include working through muddy rows for hours with a cold rain steadily dripping.
But with the warmth and dancing light of a fireplace, family or close friends near and the knowledge that you are cozily sheltered, a hard rain is among the most delightful of experiences one can know.
Just be sure that you instruct your children to avoid the puddles it leaves.
