The Rain

Have you ever noticed that the rain seems to send you deep into thought? Not while you're driving in it of course, but while you're sitting at home trying to relax. Even when the weatherman tells us that the storm is coming, it still seems to catch us off guard and send us deep into thought. I'm sitting in bed, listening to the storm and suddenly, I have no idea what to say tonight. Has that ever happened to you? You have all these thoughts and ideas just ready to put onto paper and then suddenly... you struggle to find the words. That is me right now. I had some wonderful conversations with some pretty fantastic people today at work, I was in a really good and happy mood, I was excited to write tonight. Then the storm rolled in.

I am talking about the actual physical storm this time. I absolutely love storms. I love the sound of the rain falling, watching the lightning streak across the sky, the loud cracks of thunder, they excite me, but; not in the "let's go chase it" kind of excite. Even when the storm rolled in, my mood didn't really change and I'm not even sure I could say I was completely relaxed either (if you have teenagers, you know this is darn near impossible). I was more so thrust deep into thought, and not about anything specific and my mind wasn't and isn't racing. I feel like it is just a phenomenon that rain, or a storm, does to you. I remember something I learned in one of my science classes in High School, about how the rain brings more water vapor into the air and that causes lower air pressure which decreases oxygen content, which then causes your brain to feel refreshed and almost makes you sleepy... or something like that; and we will not talk about how long ago that class was either.

Another reason I enjoy rain and storms so much is because, thanks to the rain, comes the growth. This flower is actually one of my own that I took right as the storm was starting to pick up hard. It was by no means bright out; I was actually lucky enough to capture this right as the lightning flashed and it came out absolutely perfect. Flowers and plants, but more so flowers (I may have a rather large addiction) are how I cope with a lot of things. I tell myself, when I spend way too much money, that buying and tending to flowers is not a waste, it gives me a sense of purpose. Without me tending to them, they will not grow, if I do not trim the dead flowers or leaves, then they look unkempt. Go ahead and think it, "you have children, do you not get the same satisfaction tending to them as you do the flowers?" My answer, no, it is not the same satisfaction, not for me at least. My children are teenagers and therefore are the smartest in the world and can therefore take care of themselves. No really, just ask them (to be clear, that was sarcasm you just read), they know everything about nothing lol. I love my children and would do anything for them, but they are at the age where mom is gross, and they want to be independent and I give them that, as much as I can. The difference is, we grow flowers for their fragrance and beauty, we raise our children to be better than ourselves and to conquer the world and to not be buttheads to/in society.

But now that I think about it, maybe we should tend to ourselves the way we tend to flowers and plants. We want our flowers to grow and be fragrant and beautiful, so why can't we?