The forecast predicts rain...

There is something almost mystical to the sounds of heavy drops of water falling from the sky for us to hear when they bounce against the otherwise undisturbed surroundings of our lives. They trigger all of our senses in strange ways that can only be described uniquely and individually. For some, the sounds, feel, smell, view, and even the taste of it carries memories that transport us to different places and times in our lives. I've heard everything from stories of nostalgia, joy, sadness, fear, and even kinky and erotic memories of desires being triggered by the simple and common event of rainfall. It is as if the rain in itself holds some strange power over it's witness that awakens the mind and creates a link between life experiences and emotions.

I like the rain. I hate that lately I have not being able enjoy it like I normally do because I have not had a chance, and by chance I mean enough money, to pay a contractor to come and fix whatever is wrong that makes my living room flood every time it rains for more than two days in a row. I am smart enough to know that even though I have a small roof leak, the last 55 gallons I took out a few weeks ago must also be coming in from some other source through my foundation when the soil around my home is over saturated. It started to rain again two days ago, then yesterday it did the same for a good part of the day, and today it has been mostly drizzling. As I checked the forecast I've discovered that the wet stuff is in the forecast for at least the rest of the week, meaning that sooner or later I am going to be facing my flooded living space all over again very soon. Maybe this time since I have already removed the carpet and padding in the space I will finally be able to tell where the leak is coming from. As frustrated as I am about the whole situation, this one is no different than so many others in my life that I have come to realize that I have very little power or control over. Like everything else, I know it can always get worse...so I pray.


I find it interesting the fact that rain has a way of changing people's mood. What is the connection between our emotional state and the weather? To me, like many others, rain makes me want to curl up in bed and just let the whole day waste away. I really wish that life was that simple and that dripping drops on the roof and walls of my house could be good enough of a reason to not have to go to work. As we grow up, we learn to accept our reality and include a degree of responsibility into our decision processes, making our daily duties a much higher priority than they were when we were kids. Even though I did not hate school, I promise you that I never felt bad about being able to stay home when school was called off because of something like bad weather. How does our mind find a way to make the later on connection that eventually turns us into adult thinking individuals? I am sure that some smart brain science expert would be able to answer that question without much hesitation. However, have you notice that as adults even though we will probably almost always do the right thing, still in the back of our minds the desire to stay home and cuddle under a warm blanket prevails? So in essence we do not lose our childhood desires, we just "control" them better as adults.


This reminds me that I should be a little more understanding about my teenage kid's lack of "control" over their childish impulses and desires. After all, the desires are and always will be there to stay, so expecting them to not have them would be ludicrous. When I ask my children "what were you thinking?," am I not being a bit unfair about the question? Instead of expecting them to think differently, I need to help them learn how to manage their thought process instead. I confess that I have no magical abilities to avoid having thoughts that could get me into trouble. A good example is the not wanting to get out of bed in the morning and stay home during a rainy day. My mind actually goes through what seems like a very elaborate process to convince me that I need to drag my butt out of bed and go to work, otherwise I would probably never make it in during a rainy day. For us men, no matter what your good hearted husband, boyfriend, or partner tells you, whenever we are attracted physically to someone our minds almost inevitably take a turn into places that we should probably be ashamed of. However, most of us have fortunately learned to not act on our impulses and desires without first making an assessment of what the proper behavior on our part should be and this typically will keep us out of trouble. But there is no doubt about it, the thoughts are all there one way or the other.

I want to make a suggestion that could prove my above point and help us all learn a bit more about our children's though process when they have to make choices that are either good or not so good for them. Consider the following scenario and at the end try to make a mental list of all of the choices you made while reading it:

"It is Saturday morning and you have nothing significant planned for the day. As you start to wake up in the morning and begin to be aware of your surroundings you hear a rush of raindrops pounding outside of your bedroom window. The curtains are just a bit open, enough to reveal strings of dripping water giving into the effects of gravity and making the small view seem as if tears were rolling down the glassy view. Under the covers you feel the warm cozy effects of the sheets and blankets keeping you nice and snug. Then you realize that it is not just the artificial contents of your bed that are keeping you at the right temperature, but also the oh so pleasing feeling of the person you truly love sound asleep just inches away too. As your senses start to awaken you begin to realize that once you uncover yourself the air in the room is much colder and it will take you some time to adjust to this change, so your still fuzzy mind instantly rejects the impulse of getting out of bed. From a distance your previously sleepy ears now start to hear how lightning in the close by mountains creates a roaring rumble of thunder that makes its way through the air all the way to your home. Vaguely you flash your vision towards your alarm clock and realize that it is only 6:00 a.m. and the only reason your eyes have decided to open at all is because of your habit of getting out of bed at the same time every day when you are headed to your busy day. Your soft pillow finds the side of your head, your arms the warm backside of your significant other, and your legs curl themselves in between theirs locking yourself back into the where you should of been all along and fall right back to sleep."

In the above I can safely bet that it is pretty easy to go with the flow and as the paragraph finally suggest, fall right back to sleep. Now all you have to do is change a few words to the scenario and pay attention as your mind works out the process of making some very different decisions:

"It is Monday morning and you have all kinds of things planned for your busy day. As you start to wake up in the morning and begin to be aware of your surroundings you hear a rush of raindrops pounding outside of your bedroom window. The curtains are just a bit open, enough to reveal strings of dripping water giving into the effects of gravity and making the small view seem as if tears were rolling down the glassy view. Under the covers you feel the warm cozy effects of the sheets and blankets keeping you nice and snug. Then you realize that it is not just the artificial contents of your bed that are keeping you at the right temperature, but also the oh so pleasing feeling of the person you truly love sound asleep just inches away too. As your senses start to awaken you begin to realize that once you uncover yourself the air in the room is much colder and it will take you some time to adjust to this change, so your still fuzzy mind instantly rejects the impulse of getting out of bed. From a distance your previously sleepy ears now start to hear how lightning in the close by mountains creates a roaring rumble of thunder that makes its way through the air all the way to your home. Vaguely you flash your vision towards your alarm clock and realize that it is only 6:00 a.m. and if you don't make an effort to get out of bed your whole schedule will be complicated with delays, traffic, and rushing. Your soft pillow temptingly finds the side of your head, and your arms the warm backside of your significant other, but reality's a drag and from this moment on your mind takes turns giving you every reason for which you should not wrap your legs around your loved one and go back to sleep. Don't forget your umbrella!"

Dad