Last week, I spent an hour outside during a rain shower.
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At first, I was cold and uncomfortable. I was pretty resistant to the idea of sitting out in the rain. In my eyes, I was putting myself in an uncomfortable situation for little to no beneficial outcome. I walked to the Greensboro Arboretum near my house and moped around like a sad kid who just missed the bus. I have been in the rain plenty of times, just not voluntarily. I thought back to all the camping trips my Dad and I would go on and about that one time our tent was flooded with what felt like a foot of water. Dad was pretty pissed, but we packed up everything and left. It's times like these in my memory that hold me back from viewing an experience like an hour of rain as something that can be good for me. I thought back to one of my teachers, Maia Dery, telling me and my classmates on a class camping trip that being uncomfortable can be good for you. I treaded on with Maia's words of encouragement in the back of my head, (hey, Maia).
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So, I bucked up and I thought, how can I make this worth my while. The Arboretum is a beautiful, "natural" venue, with plenty of gorgeous vegetation and every type of tree you can think of. I decided to walk through the Arboretum back and forth along it's 1 mile path, studying the little name cards on each tree. A few of the Willow variations reminded me of a tiny hobbit home, you can duck down and actually get inside it. I climbed in, without hesitation, to view the rain from under the trees protective cover. I noticed the droplets of water trickle down, watching the course of a single drop flow all the way down the the mulchy ground. I felt safe and I was no longer being smacked in the face with rain. I felt connected to this tree as I peered through its bright green leaves. I wondered how it would feel to sit inside the tree when it no longer bared leaves, would it still feel as safe?
☀
From the corner of my eye, I saw something scurry. It was what appeared to be a mole. It may have been a vole, but who really knows the difference. Not gonna lie, it was cute as hell. It seemed to be searching for its hole to get back underground. It frantically scampered
back and forth over the same spots, digging its little snout into nooks and crannies along the way. How scared he must feel, I thought. Funny how to us humans, the sight of darkness brings fear, as it symbolizes the unknown or other things we cannot predict or control. But to this tiny little mole, just the opposite is true. He probably poked out to grab some food from above ground but got miserably lost, leading him into a frenzy. He was frantic! One way to react to stress, I know I do it sometimes. Although the "issues" I would react in frenzy too are far less pressing than survival. Don't worry, he eventually found his hole and got food to his mole babies.
ϟ
I found myself getting lost in the stories of the droplets, how they got from here to there, as well as the stories of the trees and animals living in the area. I wouldn't have thought this deeply about any of this if I hadn't spent this time in the rain. I lost track of time and really got a chance to meditate on the rain. It was no longer uncomfortable, it felt natural to me. It is easy to forget how sitting out in the rain can put us at ease when we typically think of wetness and cold to be a bad thing. But remember, back before all of our society's technology and frills, this was probably quite a "normal" thing to do. It may have been a luxury to spend an hour doing nothing but sitting outside observing the rain. We often forget how privileged we are as a culture. I hope to sit out in the rain more, put myself in "uncomfortable" situations more (as long as its not dangerous) and hopefully begin to break through these barriers we develop as people. ALthough we are shaped by our environment and the culture around us, it doesn't mean we can't think critically and fight back against these forces. Anyways, just some food for thought. I hope that you will find some time to get out in the rain too.
ツ
☁
So, I bucked up and I thought, how can I make this worth my while. The Arboretum is a beautiful, "natural" venue, with plenty of gorgeous vegetation and every type of tree you can think of. I decided to walk through the Arboretum back and forth along it's 1 mile path, studying the little name cards on each tree. A few of the Willow variations reminded me of a tiny hobbit home, you can duck down and actually get inside it. I climbed in, without hesitation, to view the rain from under the trees protective cover. I noticed the droplets of water trickle down, watching the course of a single drop flow all the way down the the mulchy ground. I felt safe and I was no longer being smacked in the face with rain. I felt connected to this tree as I peered through its bright green leaves. I wondered how it would feel to sit inside the tree when it no longer bared leaves, would it still feel as safe?
☀
From the corner of my eye, I saw something scurry. It was what appeared to be a mole. It may have been a vole, but who really knows the difference. Not gonna lie, it was cute as hell. It seemed to be searching for its hole to get back underground. It frantically scampered
back and forth over the same spots, digging its little snout into nooks and crannies along the way. How scared he must feel, I thought. Funny how to us humans, the sight of darkness brings fear, as it symbolizes the unknown or other things we cannot predict or control. But to this tiny little mole, just the opposite is true. He probably poked out to grab some food from above ground but got miserably lost, leading him into a frenzy. He was frantic! One way to react to stress, I know I do it sometimes. Although the "issues" I would react in frenzy too are far less pressing than survival. Don't worry, he eventually found his hole and got food to his mole babies.
ϟ
I found myself getting lost in the stories of the droplets, how they got from here to there, as well as the stories of the trees and animals living in the area. I wouldn't have thought this deeply about any of this if I hadn't spent this time in the rain. I lost track of time and really got a chance to meditate on the rain. It was no longer uncomfortable, it felt natural to me. It is easy to forget how sitting out in the rain can put us at ease when we typically think of wetness and cold to be a bad thing. But remember, back before all of our society's technology and frills, this was probably quite a "normal" thing to do. It may have been a luxury to spend an hour doing nothing but sitting outside observing the rain. We often forget how privileged we are as a culture. I hope to sit out in the rain more, put myself in "uncomfortable" situations more (as long as its not dangerous) and hopefully begin to break through these barriers we develop as people. ALthough we are shaped by our environment and the culture around us, it doesn't mean we can't think critically and fight back against these forces. Anyways, just some food for thought. I hope that you will find some time to get out in the rain too.
ツ
My favorite spot at the Arboretum, a beautiful ivy covered terrace with a stone walkway and benches to sit on.
photographs courtesy of tripadvisor.com & theknot.com.
photographs courtesy of tripadvisor.com & theknot.com.