THE INDULGENCE OF A RAINY MORNING

Rain Drops on Spring Lilacs, Jamestown, NC

SIMPLE PLEASURES

Awakening early this morning to the sound of rain drops on the bedroom windows and water rushing through downspouts, I realized that this simple pleasure is quite possibly the most rewarding of all in retirement.  Like most life experiences, the level of satisfaction can only be relevant when compared to other similar memories, both positive and negative.  One positive thought could harken back to our first awakening in the womb to the soothing sound of amniotic fluids surrounding our developing bodies.

I’ve worked all of my adult life up to the day when I was old enough to have accumulated enough retirement income, in addition to affordable health insurance so that one critical illness would not consume it all.  And there was never a more difficult time to rise and shine than early on a work week Monday morning with the same familiar sound of rain drops on rooftops.  It’s a siren song of nature that is luring you back into a deep nirvana slumber like no other.  But I had a mortgage and bills to pay, a family to support and associates at work that depended on my presence or possibly a 6:00 AM plane to catch.   So I rose, showered, woofed down a quick bowl of cereal, inhaled a warm cup of coffee and trudged out of the comfort of home under the dismal spring rain clouds singing “I owe, I owe, it’s off to work I go!” to the synchronic rhythm of the windshield wipers.

But the spring rain this morning gave me pause to reflect on those days and appreciate the simple indulgence of turning over for a few more minutes in a semi-conscious state to soak in the soothing chorus of the rain on the roof.  And then rising to an unhurried morning with no entries on my planner that required my presence.  But it really was those hurried days of yesteryear that ultimately gave me the acute appreciation of such a simple pleasure that was beyond measure this morning.