Blessed rain

The sound of falling rain is my favorite sound on Earth.

I love to sit by the window during a storm and watch the rain come down and listen to it pitter pat on the roof. All the worries and stress and things that otherwise drive me insane melt away, and what’s left is a man truly at peace.

Some people hate the rain. They hate cold weather, gloomy skies, the wind, and all the things that come with a thundershower–but not me. Rain makes me happy. When I look to the sky and see grey, overcast, cloudy skies my spirit lifts. I hope and pray that it rains soon.

When I was a kid I loved to fall asleep to the rain. I still do. I’ve had trouble sleeping all my life, but not when it rains. The sound of the droplets hitting the roof lulls me to sleep faster than anything else in the world. It’s the one time I can fall asleep immediately. Normally I lie awake for AT LEAST an hour before finally drifting off, no matter how exhausted I am. During a rainstorm I’m out like a light.

I love to be inside during the rain, but sometimes I like to be outside too. I once went for a nice long walk in the forest during a rainstorm. I was bundled up, so I was warm. I had my rain gear on, so I was dry. Everything smelled wonderful, so fresh and clean. There was nobody around, just me and the pine trees. The wind was calm, just enough to make the trees sway, but not enough to get blasted in the face, and it was wonderful. The sound of the forest in the rain is so calming… I just can’t describe accurately the way it makes me feel. Let me just say that to me, it is bliss.

It’s been raining a lot lately, and I love it. Today I sat in my swivel chair at my desk next to the window. I had a hot cuppajoe and my favorite fleece on. I put on some Miles Davis and watched the rain come down. I didn’t move for at least an hour.

I hope it rains some more tonight.

The new life

I just spent a few hours reading all my blog entries, starting with October 2003 all the way up to today’s post. Wow. It’s amazing how un-interesting my life has been since I left Chico. I think it reflects in my uninspired writings over the past six months. My life has changed so much and so often in the last three years. I’d like to get back to being an interesting guy again…

Unveiled

On Friday Dave and I finally drove the new BMW out to his house in Discovery Bay. His wife was pleasantly surprised with her new car.

Dave kept the car at my house all week. Each day he’d come pick it up and have some work done on it–new rims, tint job, fix the CD player and sound system, car alarm. I don’t know how he kept it a secret.

My family would ask Dave, “So what’s the occasion? Birthday? Anniversary?” Dave would smile and reply, “Nope. She just needs a new car, and I want to give her a nice one.”

What a nice guy, eh?

I must admit, I had my doubts about Dave and Lana. The first few years were rocky and I didn’t think they would make it. Seeing them together these days there can be no doubt. Dave really, really loves his wife, and she loves him back. They are going to be just fine. They really are happy together.