Walking in the rain feeling each drop refresh, anoint, then bathe you in its coolness, is feeling alive like a child overflowing with the simple joy given the innocent.

Smelling the earth close up, as each step releases its aroma-slightly musty, somewhat rancid yet rich and sweet- is connecting to the dirt, stuff we are made of, made for growing…

Walking in the rain, you become part of nature’s great water cycle, and a link to countless generations who have witnessed a similar, ordinary, yet wondrous rainfall.

Feel the ecstasy that came when the first drop broke a drought with a promise of more to come. Sense the gratitude of all that is living. Listen for the scurrying of small creatures seeking shelter; watch wild flowers bend their heads and kiss the ground. Become the determination of rivulets to gather and move on to a bigger purpose than the now, running with it, unstoppable.

Become First man in that moment, thoroughly grounded, pure, and free, in love with life, in Joy’s embrace and a virgin again.