Let The Rain Kiss You: Lessons In A Sudden Downpour Let The Rain Kiss You: Lessons In A Sudden Downpour

A sudden downpour teaches an elderly gentleman a valuable lesson in life. 

It was a cloudy day. Hoping the rains would not catch me I went to mediation centre to listen to a spiritual discourse on ‘Living in Present’. The discourse got over late in the evening and the rain started. I became nervous. I forgot the moral of the spiritual talk listened a few minutes earlier.

“Oh, this rain!” the corner of my mind murmured, “Now, I may be late.” As the rain started pouring down heavily, my restlessness increased.

“Oh! This rain! And no umbrella! Auto rickshaws are not coming to this interior side. If at all anybody will come, they will charge heftily. But I can’t go in the rain. My cloths will be wet, my newly purchased shoes will be damaged and I will be infected by cold and fever…” Complaints started pouring in from all the corners of my mind.

“Rup, Rup, Rup……” the rain drops sound went hammering down. My frustration reached its peak. And, then… ‘Dhhapp’ I heard another sound. I saw a little girl run out of meditation centre and start singing, dancing in rains. Her eyes were twinkling with joy. A thought flashed in my mind. “A small girl is enjoying the rains. And I, the aged, old person, am murmuring, complaining about the rains. Why can’t I enjoy the rain like this little girl?” I breathed in deeply. A mind freshening fragrance entered in my heart and I came out of meditation centre.

The winds covered my mind. Rain drops touched my body. I forgot everything. I forgot the cloudy day. I forgot the untimely rain, my earlier nervousness, murmuring, restlessness and frustration. I forgot everything. I was enjoying the wind; I was enjoying the rain and its silky, velvety touch. I was experiencing joy, an ever new joy! In the joy I was laughing, crying, dancing, flying and in the joy I started humming…

Let the rain kiss you

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops

Let the rain sing you a lullaby

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk

The rain makes running pools in the gutter

The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night

And I love the rain

Dancing to this tune, I reached home and a thought came to my mind. How did this happen? How did a frustrated ugly lame duck, transform into a beautiful, happy swan? How could I enjoy the rains so much? And then I realised it. When I decided to enjoy the rain, I had thrown out all my worries, negativity and frustration and started living in the Present. The Present, the most precious present; the invaluable gift; given to you and me, to all of us, by the Almighty.

So friends, always remember, just like after rain a beautiful rainbow appears in sky, so does after suffering, comes joy in life. So don’t tangle in the past which has already passed, don’t think about the future, which is yet to come but live and enjoy the ‘Present’, the invaluable gift.

* Poem ‘Let the rain kiss you’ by Langston Hughes

We invite senior citizens to share their writings, short stories, poems and reviews with us. Please send us an email at connect@silvertalkies.com.