When the
rain comes, everyone is
upset and I play along. But secretly inside, I am
happy. I am sitting on a
mountain 300 miles from home,
nobody can tell me this rain will not be special. At first it comes slowly, fat plops on tree leaves all around me. The rain I know does not sound like this, it is the hard
metallic sound of drops falling on the roof of a car or the loud drumming sound against my
window while I try to sleep. But this rain, it is a gift. I sit quietly and listen, picking out the
distinct sound of each drop hitting a leaf or a tent or a porch. Every now and then a drop falls on my arm and
the coldness of it sends a wave of energy through my body.
Gradually, it builds. It has a rhythm, a life of it's own, soothing and harsh at the same time. I close my eyes and lean my head back and take it all in. The concrete is hard and I become aware of the pain in my lower back. The water is cold and I become aware of the chill running through me. The rain is loud and I become aware of the silence behind it. Gradually, I focus on the silence, blocking out the voices and people around me. There is silence behind every sound, if you listen carefully you can always hear it. My mind is still for perhaps the first time that weekend, the silence now not just behind the rain but also in me. It is a peaceful silence and I sit in awareness of it.
As the rain falls harder, the silence becomes more difficult to hear. The rain reaches a crescendo and then begins to subside, only to build up once again. It is music, more beautiful than anything I could ever hope to create. All around me are different sized drops falling on different surfaces, each producing it's own distinct sound that blends into a giant soundscape just for me. But behind this all, the silence is still there. It is the medium which allows this beatiful music to exist, it is where the sound comes from and where it will return to. I sit in awe.
Eventually I become cold and tired and go inside to sleep. The silence is still with me, and I fall asleep almost instantly, for once my thoughts unable to intrude on the peace in my mind and keep me awake.