THE DISPOSITION OF RAIN

BY DAVIN ROSE

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Perhaps there is no element as universal, mysterious, or as powerful as rain. What other element gets to ride on clouds, free fall from the top of the sky, explore the layers between heaven and earth, descend below the surface to mingle with the minerals, rise up through the roots of our flora embodying the spirit of growth, to then seemingly evaporate into nothingness floating weightlessly back up to do it all over again? What other element has the gentleness to sprout a seed or the strength to tear down a mountainside? Rain is unmatched in its spectrum of experience and ability. The color of rain contains all colors and the experience of rain all experiences.

There are many kinds of rain as well. There is the misty kind that clings to every bit of your clothing and never soaks through, that is until you touch it. There are big heavy drops that splash and seem to multiply, creating more rain after they hit the earth, the small soft drops that float on the surface of puddles or bird baths, the sideways rain that comes with the wind, the rain that rains upward when you’re swimming in the rain, the stinging rain that comes when you’re riding a scooter across the island or when you’re on the boat racing a storm back to the dock, the rain you welcome to water your garden, and the rain you curse that changes your day from the beach to an indoor picnic.  

Have you ever drank a glass of clean rain? I highly recommend it. There’s no electrolyte additives or pH adjustments that can match the energy in a glass of fresh rain. The pureness of that experience will make your soul sing. A glass of fresh rain still contains the memory of free fall. Take birds for example. The main reason they can fly is because they drink the rain. The sound of the rain will reveal the hidden nature of the world around you. Is it hollow, dense, short, or tall? The sound of rain reveals it all. A great way to take a new look at the world you see everyday is to close your eyes and listen to what the rain has to say.

And what about the smell of rain? There’s a sleeping giant we all know about and rarely discuss. The smell of rain is called “Petrichor” and it’s just as mysterious as the rain itself. In Ancient Greece, petra means rock and ichor was the ethereal fluid that was known as the blood of the gods. During dry spells, plants emit essential oils, or as researcher Phipson says, “the fragrance emitted by thousands of flowers”, that are absorbed by dry earth. When raindrops land on these porous surfaces, small bubbles form and aerosols are released, carrying with them the fragrance of the oils, like a natural massive Glade Plug In. Rain smells differently near the sea than it does further inland. Rain on the ocean emits dimethyl sulfide, the characteristic smell of the sea and rain on dry land emits geosmin, the characteristic smell of the earth. Throw a little lightning in the mix, adding a part ozone, and the experience is only intensified.

Rain is one of the only true universal donors. It shares the beauty of its life with all it touches, retaining enough mystery to keep us interested and enough power to keep us respectful. Rain is a teacher, a life bringer, a cleanser, and a friend. In the words of the wise Alan Watts “The sound of the rain needs no translation”.

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