Rainfall is abundant lately in my part of the country, but summer rains bring one of my favorite activities.  Listening.  Try it for yourself.  The next time it rains at your house, go outside on your patio or deck, take a seat, and just listen.  Listen to how different the rain sounds when it falls into trees, onto roof shingles, into small pools of water.  Listen to distant thunder and to birds as they continue with their discussions despite the rainfall.  You might even hear something surprising if you pay close enough attention to the sounds surrounding you.  There’s music in a rain shower, if you allow yourself to hear it.

Listening is actually harder than it sounds.  We often keep ourselves so busy with activity that simply sitting and listening is a real challenge.  Isn’t there something else we should be doing?  If it makes you feel better, take a book outside with you, or your laptop.  Just be sure to keep one ear open to hear the rain and all that comes with it.

Having said all of this, I’m not suggesting that you choose an unsheltered location outdoors and get soaked through.  That’s certainly an option, but it’s not one that I choose.  My preference is to find a comfy chair tucked safely and dryly underneath the retractable awning that my husband so graciously installed over our deck last year.  It provides plenty of protection so that I can enjoy the sounds of summer rain without getting wet myself.  Even better, the sound of raindrops on top of the awning adds another layer of “music” to the symphony nature produces with each summer rain shower.

When it comes down to it, though, it doesn’t matter if you listen from underneath a protective shelter or if you listen while getting soaked to your skin.  What’s important is the act of listening itself.  See if you can do it.  Start with five minutes and do nothing but sit and listen to the rain.  You just might get hooked.