let it rain

Being from Hilo where it rains at least every day… that’s what it feels like anyway… I’ve always been soothed by rain.  One of the things I lamented in Vegas was that it hardly ever rains.   I would miss the sound of rain on the roof and the feeling of wet rubber slippers.  My trusty Sig Zane umbrella takes up permanent residency in the trunk of my car, whereas in Hilo it would be in the backseat, still semi-wet from yesterday’s rain.   On the rare occasions that it did rain, I would turn my nose up in disgust thinking, “What’s wrong with these people that they don’t know how to drive in rain?”

After being stuck in the midst of a flash food today, I have a newfound reverence for Mother Nature ’cause this rain-experienced Hilo-girl was panicking!  It rained record-breaking rain today… the most rain for any September day since record keeping began.  On my quest to get home, I saw cars stranded on the freeway on-ramp and firefighters rescuing people out of their cars.  I struggled to get home as many intersections were blocked by treacherous running water.

Luckily the rain only lasted for about a half hour.  It doesn’t sound bad, but it was enough to cause massive flooding, requiring some people to be air lifted out of their vehicles.  After a couple of hours, the sun started to fight its way through the clouds.  As my nerves began to calm from finally being at home, I couldn’t remember the last time that I was so grateful to welcome the sun.

I realize that it’s this process that I miss about the rain… the process of cleansing and renewal that takes place… the grey area that exists once the rain has passed and the sun begins to emerge… the fighting feeling I had as I silently cheered for the sun to break through.   I’m sure that it’s a process that Hilo-ans don’t even think about, but it’s one that becomes ingrained in our being.  It’s something that you don’t realize is missing until you’ve had too many rainless days.

So while I would have much rather have experienced today’s rain while curled up in bed reading Fifty Shades of Grey with my two pups by my side, Mahalo Ke Akua for reminding me of just what the rain is all about.

8NewsNow has great video and photos of today’s happenings.