At 5pm tonight in North Sydney, a storm was brewing. Thunder was roaring, lightening was flashing across the sky – people were madly running for shelter, umbrellas blowing inside out in the chaos.
I wasn’t sure this was a good night to be going for a walk.
I have a confession to make. I quite like the rain.
This summer there have been a lot of rain whingers. And from time to time, I may have been one of them. But I think we can now all say that we are sick of hearing people say that they are sick of the rain. We get it. We are here too. Its raining – again.
This summer I have felt a bit like I’ve been living in the UK again. Its reminded me of those long stretches of grey, day after day. How the sky seemed to hang low, and it felt like someone had the sun constantly on dim. I remember actually craving to have the sun on my skin. The absolute joy waking up one morning to sunlight, real sunshine – pouring right into the window onto me in my bed. I lay there trying literally to soak it up.
But that’s just the thing – it never really gets like that here. We rarely have a week without a really sunny day. Even during this rainy summer, the sun usually still comes out in between for a bit.
The thing is, Australians seem to think the world should be in eternal sunshine. Its a nice thought. When its sunny, its true that its easier to get out of bed, you feel like you want to get outside and ‘do something’. Glebe foreshore is full of people walking up and down, jogging and cycling when the sun it out.
But that’s just the thing. Sometimes its nice not to rush, for the world to feel quiet and gentle. When its raining outside, it somehow enfolds you, so that you feel just right curled up on the couch with a book.
Because I’m doing my 10,000 steps a day this week, I had to venture out in the rain today. I was almost on my own walking along the foreshore, apart from the odd walker like myself. It was so peaceful, the gentle sound of the rain on my umbrella cushioning the city noises, softening the day. The water was a beautiful silvery grey, calm with no boats rushing up and down. I didn’t have to dodge dogs, joggers, children on scooters or cyclists. I felt I had the world to myself just for a little while.
I like the rain. It gives us permission to do all those things we feel slightly guilty about on a sunny day. Watching old movies, re-reading Harry Potter, sipping hot chocolate or having a long hot bath.
So please excuse me. There is a couch and a book waiting, and its raining outside.
Life. Crazy. Beautiful. 