The girl who taught me this was my babysitter, and she was about 16 and I was around 8 years old. We had been outside playing on the playground, when a quick summer down pour started. I hid under the slide, trying to stay dry, as I watched her and her friends dance and goof off in the rain. I thought they were crazy. After all, aren't we taught to be inside when it rains?
She coaxed me out at some point and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be...in fact, it was fun! I don't think I played in the rain again though, until I was 18. During middle school and high school, I cared what people thought; girls worried about their hair in the rain, so I pretended to care too and ran for dry cover with the rest of them, while I secretly wanted to dance in it instead.
As soon as I graduated from high school, I was hired for an administrative position. I had always been mature for my age, and while going to community college, I held a 40 hour a week "grown up" job in a real estate office. I had been there about a year, and one particularly slow day (when all the owners were gone...I couldn't have gotten away with this with them there!) the perfect, soak-you-to-your-bones, rain came.
I remember standing by the front desk, watching the rain, and wanting to be out there. I thought back to about 10 years prior and how much fun it had been that day on the playground. I mentioned that to the receptionist (such a wonderful woman, and mama hen) and the only real estate agent who was left in the office for the day (a guy who was only a few years older than me, but I think he viewed me as a baby still, which looking back, I was). I think I received more of an eye roll, rather than encouragement...but for some reason I got the nerve to go out there anyways, which was totally out of my usual, "mature" comfort zone.
I ran out and twirled around for a bit, until I was soaked from head to toe. Coming back in, I received more eye rolls (especially from the guy...more proof to him that I was a kid I'm sure) and I made my way back to my desk. I was soaking wet and cold, but it had been so worth that minute of feeling carefree. It had felt like childhood.
Summer is upon us again. As I get a little bit older each year, childhood feels further and further away. In the pouring rain though, I can be 8 again and forget about adulting for a few minutes. During a storm, when the cashier or stranger makes the comment about how awful the rain is, I get to smile and say I don't mind it. I know the Magic getting soaked by the rain holds, and I walk back to my car, while the rest of the world seems to run.
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