2026-08-14
I went for a walk around the lake today during heavy rain, no umbrella, and embraced it head-to-toe. I practically had the whole park to myself, besides the ducks. The ducks were having an equally good time. The ducklings were swimming around in puddles, like the puddles were kiddie pools.
The rain was surprisingly cold. The area had an odd mixture of extreme weather alerts today: a heat index warning, and a storm with cold rain. The puddles I walked through were noticeably warmer than the falling rain, which makes sense logically because the ground is warm, but it is still an odd sensation. The coolness was a nice change from the unbearably hot days over the past months.
Humans don't embrace rainy weather often enough, especially when it's warm enough out to not completely freeze. I wonder at what age humans stop wanting to play in the rain and jump in puddles. It's one of nature's small joys. I wonder if we've gotten less enthusiastic about enjoying a walk in the rain because of not wanting to get our phones wet or leave them behind. It's sad to think about.