jaunthie | Listening to the rain

Yesterday I woke up to an unusual sound. Normally I wake up to the sound of my alarm clock; sometimes I wake up to the sounds of the cats or

fisherbear moving around. But yesterday, I woke up to the sound of raindrops lightly falling down on the roof.

It's been a while since we've had rain, much less rain in the morning. And it's also been quite some time since I've had the luxury of *not* setting my alarm clock to get up for work/appointments/whatever. It was lovely to just lie there, snuggle up with my husband, and listen to the sounds of his breathing and of water on the roof.

Later on that morning, I walked home from the coffee shop while fisherbear ran some errands. It was mostly not raining at that point, but there was still plenty of moisture falling from leaves and branches. I chose a route home that mostly went on back streets, and took the time to just absorb and enjoy my surroundings, the sights and sensations of my neighborhood and the freshly-washed air. I didn't put on headphones. I didn't rush, as I had no need to; I didn't need to be anywhere for another few hours. I just walked, and observed, and enjoyed.

It's been a very long time since I've done either of these things; lay in bed to enjoy waking up (sounds of rain or not) rather than jump out of bed and rush into the day, or taken the time to enjoy a walk instead of hurrying to reach the destination. It's been a busy, crazy summer, and the fall isn't likely to be any less stressful, but listening to the rain yesterday, it became clear to me that I need to make more time for myself and moments like these. Because really, if I let myself be so rushed that I can't enjoy the present, I'm probably not going to enjoy the future, either. I need that time to recharge and enjoy. And I don't want to miss out on everything that I have and all the joys the world has to offer.