I adore the rain.

Everyone has something that makes them feel rejuvenated. Perhaps it’s a spa day, a vacation, a good book, a great glass of wine, a sunset, a sunrise or an accomplishment; mine is the rain. I find it to be beautifully inspiring.

I’m not quite sure when my love of wet weather really took hold, but I’m guessing it’s been in the past decade or so. I seem to recall far more stormy, rainy days from my younger years, but back then they interfered with my ability to go outside and play, to ride bikes and to draw on the driveway with pastel-colored chalk. Even so, I still embraced them, generally leaning towards staying inside and consuming copious amounts of hot chocolate, painting by numbers and baking Shrinky Dinks in the oven.

These days, rainy ones are just my speed; I sometimes prefer them to those that are sun-drenched. The idea of spending hours on end watching it fall and listening to the rain masquerade as an orchestra’s percussion section is close to bliss. Add a fire in the fireplace and we’re nearing perfection status. Bonus points for Mother Nature if the rain starts on a Saturday morning shortly before I wake, acting as a stand-in for my alarm clock.

Have I mentioned I adore the rain?

One thing I find fascinating about it is the mysterious quiet that precedes the beginning of a shower. I liken it to when our bodies need to draw a long, full breath, and you reach that second where your lungs are at capacity.

And then you exhale.

It’s almost a cleansing feeling.

I stepped outside for a few moments earlier for no other reason than to behold the stillness in the air. I had been going through the house, turning off lights, when I realized how hushed the evening was — unusual for a Friday night. No barking dogs in the distance, no aircraft overhead, not even car or helicopter noise that usually attaches immediately to the night air and fills it up. Dense clouds were beginning to congregate in the night sky; all was calm, and a few stars were trying their best to be bright. But soon the cloud cover would reign.

It felt like the atmosphere was in need of a weekend, as well, and as though she was taking her long, full breath before exhaling some much-needed rain onto the southland. And the fact that this is all happening as we head into Saturday couldn’t make me happier.

Tonight I am thankful for the calming rejuvenation that the rain brings, as well as for the fresh perspective that comes along with it. Beautifully inspiring, indeed.