Lluvia

Today it rained while I was walking back from class.
Usually when I see storm clouds I wait until the rain has passed to go home, or I plunge ahead with my head down to get out of the inclement weather as soon as possible.
But that's not what I did today.

Instead of hiding from the rain or acting like I think I'm too good for it, I just closed my eyes and tilted my head up, standing where I was, and welcomed it like an old friend.  I felt the corners of my mouth twitch into a smile because it somehow felt right.  With my eyes still closed, I stepped forward, walking onward, against the storm, still seeing clearly the light from above the clouds filtering through my eyelids.

And so I walked home with big fat drops of water falling out of the sky onto my face and hair, the sidewalk in front of me, the leaves of the trees over my head, and the beautiful smell of Utah rain, the sort of fresh, clean, all-the-world-is-new smell you can't quite find anywhere else, listening to Turn to Stone with an irremovable smile on my face.

I liked it: not being afraid of the rain, not cowering from it, not pretending like I'm too busy and don't have time too notice the simple beauty of the world around me. Because honestly, this world we live in is incredible, and although it shouldn't be--

it's so very easy to miss.