Rain

Rain is such a beautiful thing. Watching the storms this weekend, I thought about how powerful it is. Rain, the setting for so many hindi film songs, weather of passion and romance, yet also of solitude and darkness. There is nothing better than sitting with a steaming mug of hot chocolate or tea inside, and watching the storm. Yet, there is nothing worse during a morning (or evening) rush hour commute. For some reason, whenever it rains outside, it rains inside on the 7 train platform at Grand Central. I have never quite figured out why it floods inside when there is a perfectly good roof protecting it & the relatively dry lexington avenue line right above it, but you can't do anything abut it, so you just go with it. The rain has a sense of cleansing, of purifying and of washing clean. It is all these things and more. It is a God send to the farmers of India - the coming of the monsoons...and for those of us in more urban settings - it is the cooling of the tremendous heat that melts the flesh off our bones like sticky chocolate that has been left out in the sun. For some, it signals worse weather up ahead - for those who have to worry about hurricanes or other natural disasters. It is ruthless & kind all at once - it is full of contradictions. For others still it may have more personal meanings...memories of things past & looking forward to all that is to come. The rain is simultaneously one of my favorite & least favorite things. And this is why it is amazing.