July 1, 2024
Blessed Rain
I woke up several times throughout the night. While this interrupted my sleep, I was happy that each time I dozed off, I could hear the deep sound of rolling thunder. I found this very relaxing. In the morning, I sat on the living room couch with my wife, sipping coffee while listening to the rumbles that were still sounding.
Kilo, who had been suffering from back pain, was back to her old self. We fed the dogs and jumped in to our normal routine, my wife studying and me writing. As I typed away on the keyboard, the rain was dumping outside. To me, this was the perfect soundscape for thinking and writing.
When my wife was just about ready to leave, I put on my raincoat and went outside to move her car closer to the house. The rain was pouring down and several inches of water flooded the yard. I felt thrilled because I had expected a very light shower. This morning, after my wife drove off, the rainfall strengthened, pouring nonstop for another three hours.
By early afternoon, the deluge had slowed, and the dark skies were slowly brightening. I contemplated going out into the woods, but it was still raining, and the light was too dim. Another round of showers fell, but a half hour before my break, the rain stopped and the skies suddenly opened up, casting sunlight over the forest.
I grabbed my gear and headed to the blind for my lunch break. It was clear and bright, but best of all, the humidity had vanished. The weather was excellent for being outdoors, and I felt lucky to have an hour off during this window of perfect weather.
While I sat inside the blind, long wind gusts moved through the forest. Sometimes, I heard the air moving a full minute before it reached my location. There were two large sections of pine that had fallen off during the storm, landing against the trees on the right side of the feeding station. Luckily, nothing at the site broke. I took in a few deep breaths, thinking to myself that I wanted to stay outside the entire day.
A few birds and squirrels came out during my time at the feeding station. About thirty minutes before my break was over, I stopped by the creek to check the water level. It hadn’t rained in several weeks, and the water in the creek had been steadily dropping. This morning, however, the creek swelled and its water rushed, creating gurgling and trickling noises at several places along the stream.
When I left the creek area, I heard a deer bark seven or eight times. I looked to my right, spotting a lone deer walking slowly through the trees. The deer’s red summer coat reflected the light cutting through the woods, making it easier to track.
As I cut back toward the house on a nearby trail, I looked for the deer, never seeing it again. When I arrived at the pine grove, I saw a different deer feeding in the crop field to the east. Moving quietly, I stopped behind a large pine that had a low protruding branch, which I used to support my camera lens.
From behind the tree, I shot photos and videos of the deer feeding in the field. The wind was on my side, and the deer never smelled me. I moved forward to another tree and shot more footage. The deer caught my movement and looked straight at me. I clicked my tongue, and the deer bolted for the northern tree line at full speed. There was no time to film the run, but it was a sheer delight to take in the experience.
I finished up the rest of the day, trying to fit five days of work into three workdays. I was off for the July fourth holiday this Thursday and Friday, so there was a bit of a crunch on some reports I needed to complete. My wife called to let me know she was on her way home. As a bonus, she would be off work tomorrow.
The weather was perfect for an evening out on the deck. When my work was over, I closed down my computer and moved outside with my wife. We put on some music and sipped on ice cold beers, taking in the clear, cool weather. The feeling was light and free.
My mind jumped to the Japanese concept of Megumi no Ame, which translated roughly to Blessed Rain. This term was used to describe a rain shower that brought a pleasant, unexpected gift, in this case the cool evening temperatures after a week of intense heat. We spent the night taking advantage of the weather, grilling skirt steak for tacos, which made a marvelous meal.
After dinner, my wife went into the woods for a walk while I stayed back and took care of the evening chores. It was days like today that gave me the space I needed to reset. After a cooler day, I was ready to take on more of the North Carolina summer heat.