Rain Don't go Away!

Journal entry 2/26/11  9:00 pm


It's funny how where you are can influence your state of mind and acceptance. I have always loved the rain in warm weather. But in Jamaica it's always warm, even when it's a little cool. It rained tonight and as always when I hear rain falling , no matter what I'm doing I stop and go sit on my veranda and listen to it, watch it as if I'm watching a movie, feel it, touch it.  I sit and watch as people hurry home to get out of it. I spy on funny secret moments because people do the strangest things when they think no one is watching.

One day coming from Kingston we went through a downpour and traveling through many Parishes I observed the children on their way home from school. As we traveled we saw kids of all age groups with so many different colored uniforms, Khaki  at all times for the boys with crisp creases in their pants. But for the likkle ladies, orange, blue, burgundy, with  starched white blouses . The younger kids were the most fun to watch, because with the heart of a child, they have nothing to hide and having a little fun on the way home is an important thing. As we noticed  some had taken their shoes off, rolled up their pants and proceeded to make as much of a wet mess as they could while walking into the water puddles, not around, jumping and splashing, pushing and playing to see who could splash the highest. The girls gave as well as they got.

Now the middle grade are just beginning to be aware of  each other so you see groups of boys trailing behind groups of girls and each group is pointing, and giggling and whispering about members of the other group as they make fun at one from each group who is giving each other lots of attention. But this is also the group where the girls still hold hands with each other and you imagine best sisters or best friends, and this group   still have that innocence where they still enjoy splashing through the little rivers forming in the road, but not with the same  gusto and fun of the likkle ones.

Now the group who are on the third level have all of the dignity and grace of the adults that influence them. You see young couples walking, holding hands or hugged up while surrounded by thier posse and each one is vying for the attention of one in the opposite group. (Male/female) there is nothing like watching a young romance blooming when they don't realise they are being watched by adults.

Watching was like riding through my past. Watching my own transition from child to young adult, from purity to all knowing.

I sit tonight and listen as the rain falls heavily onto the trees and flowers in my yard. I listen to the sounds of voices coming from my neighbor's homes, I listen to the ever present music coming from the sound system around the corner, to the always constant barking of the dogs in the neighborhood, there are times I wish I understood what they are saying to each other.

 I  sit and compare the sounds of the rain, my favorite is the sound of rain on the zinc roof of a board house next door, I am imagining the sounds to the people inside, or in our house in  the country where the rain on the zinc roof  and maybe a the sound of the crickets and music from someones sound system can be heard from a distance. I love being on the beach when the rain begins and watching people who are already wet and in the sea, jump out and run for cover and leave the whole sea to me.. this is one of my greatest pleasures. And so much fun, water from above and below as you float and continue to get drenched.

I find there are so many pleasures that once upon a time I had no time to indulge. Sitting and enjoying the rain was one, but now I have all the time in the world to just enjoy getting... WET. And just think, I have 7 miles to choose from, plus the cliffs.

As I've said so many times since coming here its funny the likkle things that  bring me Joy. Jamaica is still capable of doing that for me after all this time. Sun, Sea, Sunsets, Rain  in Jamaica it's all great to me.