I treated myself to a nice walk in the rain Monday afternoon…unplanned, of course, but still so very pleasant that I wasn’t even mad at Pete Petoniak, the WLUK weatherman who had assured me and all his viewers that it would not rain until “after dinner”.
“What time do you eat dinner, Pete?” I thought when I first felt the drops around 3 p.m.
Then, I took a deep breath and realized I should probably enjoy one of the last opportunities I might have to walk in a nice summery rain.
Rain smells like peace if you let it; it feels fresh and clean.
You don’t have to talk when you walk in the rain because there’s rarely anyone else out there. You can turn your face toward it and let it wash the day away if you don’t mind a little smearing.
I loved it.
I met a kindred spirit on a park bench near the river when I wandered over to watch the rain splash there. Herman Knoke died in 2008, but his family dedicated a bench along the Fox River to the memory of him and his wife Mary.
Of course, I looked him up and it turns out that Herman played guitar and harmonica and liked to track eagle’s nests along the Fox River. A family man with three kids and four grandchildren (maybe more by now), Herman also liked camping and, in his later years, took up tomahawk throwing.
How cool is that?
I tipped my hooded head to Herman and Mary, then I headed for home. I’d have wandered a little more, but I thought I should have some compassion for my faithful companion, my phone, which was not loving the rain nearly as much as I was.
I’m not going to be out there tramping through the rain every day (though we’ve all had plenty of opportunities to do so lately!). But, I hope I get at least one rainy tramp (and several snowy walks) a year to remind me how sweet it can be.
