Playing in the Rain

Playing in the rain is one of the only things I can recall enjoying doing throughout every phase of my life. There’s something cleansing and purifying about the rain. Rain on a hot summer night washes away all of the accumulated dirt and salt of the day. And yet, one of the greatest experiences of my life was having nearly sole occupancy of the Watchung Reservation during the tail end of a massive freezing rain storm—soaked to the bone, living out all of my childhood “Manhunt” fantasies, as Pink Floyd echoed through my ear buds.

I love that my family keeps me young and that I have opportunities to play. But as the fall is approaching, it’s important that I start thinking how to make those opportunities to get into the woods with my wife on cool misty weekend mornings real.

I don’t get a lot of time or opportunity to jump into puddles like I used to, which is, I suppose, a symptom of growing up. But it was a hot summer, and the sweaters are starting to come out on these chilly school day mornings, reminding me that the cool, slow rain of fall is coming. The woods are calling. It’s time to go play in the rain.