Rainy Day Adventure

Sunday mid-morning I headed out to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to try to take advantage of what I thought would be a rain-free hour or two (according the weather forecast) with overcast skies. Instead I had a

and got soaked by surprise rain showers that ended up being heavy and prolonged. When I arrived at the Arboretum no rain was falling though I could see by the wet reflective surface of the road to the 3-mile drive that recent rain must have just ended. I had driven through heavy rain on the way to the Arboretum and thought that the wet roads were what remained of the rain that had already passed by. The weather forecast suggested that the rain had ended for an hour or two so I cheerfully headed out without umbrella or raincoat.

As I had a particular place in mind, for my morning ramble, I began hiking in the soft humid air. Before long I noticed a few drops of rain falling. Thinking that it would be a little sprinkle that would soon end, I kept walking through the gardens. The rain began to pick up and soon I was looking for someplace to shelter from the rain. I found a tiny shelter under a raised platform in the gardens and discovered a family of 4 already tucked into the small space.The little boy in the family showed me a little green tree frog who also seemed to be sheltering from the rain (you can see it by the wall plaque on the left side of the image below).

As I stood in the little shelter just out of the rain we chatted for awhile until the family decided to make a run for the main building and then head home.

I stayed on, sitting on the sheltered bench watching the rain fall and enjoying the quiet solitude. Checking the weather forecast on my phone it looked like the rain should end soon. “Patience,” I thought, “soon it will end.”

The rain did finally stop and I continued my hike further and further away from shelter. Then as I had almost reached the area I was hoping to explore I heard a rumble of thunder overhead. Realizing that I didn’t want to be out where lightning might be happening, I decided to call it a day and head back to my car.

On my way back, raindrops began to fall again and thunder continued to rumble. I still paused here and there to photograph a few flowers along the way. But I didn’t pause long in any one spot and I walked as swiftly as I could. Before I reached the parking lot, rain was falling heavily again. By the time I got back to my car I was soaked to the skin.

Still, I enjoyed my little rainy day adventure. It’s not often that I go out walking in the rain without umbrella or raincoat. There is something freeing in not worrying about getting soaked. Though the day did not turn out how I wanted it to, it was a beautiful ramble through the rain.

To live is to die to how we wanted it to be, and to open more to truth. To love is to accept. It is the most extraordinary power.
— Jack Kornfield

My camera and I survived the soaking just fine (I held the camera under my long-sleeved shirt to protect it somewhat from the rain). Even though the day did not turn out as I had planned I’m glad I went. If it had not started thundering I like to think that I would have kept going on my walk, enjoying making photographs in the rain.

When was the last time you took a walk in the rain or had an unexpected adventure?

May you walk in beauty.