Enjoy the simple things in life. . . learn to dance in the rain! Rain is fascinating. Rain is refreshing. Rain is rejuvenating. Rain is. . .
You finish the sentence as you see, feel, hear, even smell the rain. Speaking of the smell, while water is odorless, there is a distinct smell to rain, particularly after a dry spell. It is a pleasant, earthy smell that has a name – “petrichor.”
Did you know there is science behind rain? Yes, it is much more than simply water falling from the sky at which point you usually run so you don’t get wet!
As a kid, you probably loved to play in the rain. Run, jump, splash, even dance. Why should such joy be limited to days reminiscent of childhood? Afterall, you have an inner child that never grows old living and loving life to its fullest.
From the Catnip of Life. . .
Rain dances to many rhythms from drizzle to sprinkle, steady flow to downpour. It makes its own music as tiny to big raindrops scatter or merge gracefully like a ballerina or eye-catching as a flash dance. What about that sweet, pungent smell? Is it truly the rain emitting an odor, the rain interacting with the air, or the reaction of rain striking the earth? There’s definitely a fresh, earthy smell well before first drops fall. Actually, with an approaching rainstorm’s climb in humidity, the odor rises up from its earthly embrace. That’s the moment you say, “It smells like rain!”
SMELL THE RAIN
Ah! Nothing like the aroma
Of fresh-baked homemade bread
Or that distinct powerful scent
Warm cinnamon rolls spread!
Such succulent senses
Can dull any pain
But have you ever stopped
To smell morning rain?
Peace abides in the meadow
’Til twilight in the countryside
Where wet spicy fragrances
Of newly-cut timbers abide
Subtle, soothing perfumes
The colorful wildflowers yield
But have you ever stopped
To smell rain in a grassy field?
With morning light
A bracing essence drifts by
As sunbeams peep
From behind clouds in the sky
A bold rainbow arches
O’er a weather vane
But have you ever stopped
To smell lashing rain?
A farm road embraces
An afternoon shower
As dusty mist bathes
Each tree, every flower
Within a few moments
Freshness of senses is bestowed
But have you ever stopped
To smell rain on a dusty road?
What is this rain smell
Of which I so speak?
Somewhat surprising
And always unique
Breathe in the rain smells
Part of Mother Nature’s domain
Dance in the puddles
Left behind by the pouring rain
When the forecast is rainfall
Break away from daily routines
Let the rhythms of falling rain
Compose a song of tranquil scenes
Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with liquid silver drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
—Langston Hughes (American Poet, 1902–1967)
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