I didn’t know it then. I just know all these years later that I remember the smell. The smell of rain hitting dirt and hot pavement. The feel of the air just before it rains. How the temperature can drop 20 degrees within a few minutes or make for a steamy bath.
Rain. Isn’t it great? So nourishing, so cleansing. I remember that first time. It had been really hot outside as summer drummed on. By the afternoon, it had clouded up and began to rain. Just a nice, gentle pace. The air was cooling a bit as we sat on the porch watching, when Mrs. Tanner or “Nana,” as she was known to me then, asked me, “Would you like to play in the rain?”
I suppose I was looking at her as if she had lost her mind.
“I can play in the rain?” I asked.
“As long as there isn’t thunder or lightning, yes, you can.”
“What do I wear, you mean like I should put on my bathing suit?” And, again, this ever-vigilant guardian of my Mother’s rules surprised me beyond all measure and said “Yes” again! I ran to change and then outside.
It was an incredible feeling, being “unleashed” as I was.
A hired caregiver suspending all the rules to play in the street, wearing a bathing suit in the middle of the day when not at the city pool, having permission to get my hair wet other than for a bath…these were extraordinary things.
Other kids came out of their houses to skip and jump around in the rain, too, throwing caution to the wind.
Okay!
This is a thing we can do in life. Play outside when it’s raining.
The yard wouldn’t do. Puddles form better in the street, and we splashed, and skipped, and squealed like we had been gifted a giant pile of candy and a waiver on cavities.
It was, I thought, the most glorious 20 minutes of my life.
I wondered if my mother would find out about this, and if Mrs. Tanner would be fired. There was just too much glee for me to believe everything would be okay after such frivolity. I now had a full belt of happiness anxiety.
Whether she told my Mother or not, I can’t be sure.
But Nana and I were bonded for life.
Today I reflect on that day and understand why I love a walk in the rain, being around water, sea spray, forest mist, waterfalls, streams, brooks, fountains, and rivers. Moving water. The air before, during and after rain. It all feels so amazing.
Science has analyzed much about moving water and mood. As raindrops collide, the water molecules break apart into fragments that gain an electrical charge. Negative ions are produced and clean the air of pollutants like mold, pollen, and pet dander. Inhaling negative ions increases the flow of oxygen to the brain that can relieve stress and anxiety, boost your daytime energy, and help you sleep better at night.
The heavier the downpour, the higher the concentration of negative ions. In fact, being near moving water can increase negative ion levels in the air by up to 10,000 times compared to normal.
No rain in sight? Getting to the ocean surf not doable? Any running water will produce some measure of negative ions, so know that even a babbling brook or fountain can help.
When nature isn’t producing these wonderful cleansing effects for us, air purifiers and fragrance diffusers can produce similar negative ion experiences.
Worth looking into.
In the meantime, here’s hoping you can get a thunderous splash of the real thing.
Jean Greco for The Gift of Scent