For someone who works outside, I love the rain more than you might suspect. Mostly I appreciate the way it changes our forest classroom so dramatically. The lowest part of the meadow turns into a small pond; earthworms erupt en masse from underground; the steady pitter-pat of raindrops on dried leaves replaces the birdsong that yesterday filled the forest. (That sound is the inspiration for the song in the video below.)

An April rain is particularly transformative -- not just when it's falling, but also in its immediate aftermath. It always seems to me that the forest is noticeably greener and brighter in the hours after a spring shower. See if you notice it, too, next time it rains. Watch the cherry tree. At first, it seems to hold between its branches only a faint haze of maroon. Then the rain comes and it goes, and instantly a thousand buds have burst forth. The branches are heavy with pink blossoms that appear out of nowhere.

This is, of course, why we used to call it “springing time” and now, simply, spring. It’s when nature changes all of a sudden. Life that didn’t seem to be there before is now undeniable. What a spectacular time to look around outside, even if it’s only for a moment or only from a window.

And when you do, remember that while the flowers get all the glory, the credit goes to the rain.

Song:

“Hear the Rain”
By Charles Foster

Hear the rain is falling down
On the meadow, field and town:
Drip drop drip drop on the leaves,
Drip drop drip drop on the eaves.