I had a wonderful experience with rain last weekend.  On Saturday night, I returned home after a movie and got caught in heavy rainfall without an umbrella.  With only blocks to go to my apartment, and people racing to find shelter around me, I decided to walk at my normal pace, and allow the rain to drench me.  When I arrived at the front of my building, I just stood still, raised my arms and spun around in the rain.  Then I watched the streets; people were running, others were standing under awnings for shelter, even those that had umbrellas.  They were all avoiding getting wet, while I was reveling in the sensation, the lack of concern, the state of just being. My heart felt joyful in this moment, a spectator amidst a summer storm.

The next day, we had one of those oxymoron sunshowers.  It was such a bright sunny day, I could not believe that it was raining so hard, almost as hard as it had Saturday night.  But this time, no one was running.  Some had their umbrellas down and allowed the drops to reach their skin, some had umbrellas raised, but they all walked at a leisurely pace.  When I got to Central Park, lots of people were sitting on the benches watching everyone pass by, and there were many smiles exchanged at the uniqueness of a shower in the sun.  Everyone was drawn to the light, and the rain was a happy circumstance. I lowered my own umbrella and decided to just enjoy the moment once again.

The experiences made me think of our light and dark sides - we're very happy to spend leisurely time with the brightest parts of ourselves, but we tend to run and seek cover when we are confronted with those dark, stormy parts of ourselves.  I found that while I stood planted and loved the rain, instead of running from it, I felt loved back.  What dark parts of yourself are you trying to get away from?  Is there a way you could stand still, amid the clouds, rain, and darkness, and try to embrace that part of yourself?