Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away
Rain is an interesting subject for a college student. This is because it means a different thing for different people at different times of the year. For example, my one friend links rain to the “ideal romantic night walking around Paris.” Another friend is more focused on the rhythm of the rainfall as it hits the roof of her home.
Rain often rain gets a bad name. It is the reason sports teams must cancel games and practices and is responsible for a less than comfortable walk across campus. People seem to only use sunshine as a contributing factor to their overall happiness for the day while you almost never hear anyone contribute their good day to the rain. And finally, rain becomes “Public Enemy Number One” since a stormy day is synonymous with “Bad Hair Day.”
These seem to be the general feelings and attitudes toward rain that I have observed over the years. However, I consider myself a great supporter of the so-called “dreary days.” Yes, my hair frizzes in the rain even more than the next girl’s, but it does the same on the hottest of summer days. There is just no getting around it. (Plus, I find an odd amount of joy in wearing my raincoat around and stomping through puddles with my rain boots solely because I can.)
As the clouds roll in, a sense of excitement fills me. People hurry to find shelter in the nearest buildings. But as they are moving quickly all around me, I try to take a moment to recognize the surrounding nature and the calm before the storm. Everything seems to be set in a period of anticipation. Branches start to sway slightly with oncoming winds. The first drops hit people’s foreheads. Then it is time for the show to start.
As a little girl, I feared thunderstorms more than anything. The moment I heard a slight rumbling in the distance on a summer day, I was inside my house and hiding away in my room. Finally, my aunt and uncle had me site in the garage with them during a storm one night. For the first time, I appreciated the beauty of lightening and how it lights up the sky. The power of nature is a terrifying yet magnificent work of art.
Rain is one of the more dominating forces of nature. But as an online article fromABCNetspace.com describes, “Rain is a symbol of the balance of nature.” About 16 million tons of water evaporate from Earth’s surface every second. It is by no coincidence that about 16 million tons of water fall to Earth’s surface every second. This
state of equilibrium seems nearly impossible to obtain. Yet, nature pulls it off.Another thing most people do not give much consideration is how simple raindrops, objects falling from the sky, cause minimal harm on their own. Atmospheric friction has a great effect on the spherical shape of raindrops, therefore, slowing their velocity as rain falls to the Earth. Facts like these fascinate me. They make me look at nature as a larger system than what I can determine with the naked eye.
