I went for a 4-mile run this morning on the Venetian Waterway Trail in Venice, FL.  As I left the house it began to rain  and my first thought was, “I guess I need to turn around”. 

Immediately something or someone, maybe my inner child, spoke up, encouraging me to live on the wild side - So I proceeded…in the rain.

It wasn’t a heavy, drenching rain.  It was more than a drizzle.  It was rhythmic. and it was  inviting .

As I continued I found a comfortable pace. I wasn’t breaking any personal speed records, but I wasn’t trying. I wasn’t inconvenienced by the rain - it was soothing, and joyful.  I was running but not struggling.  In this rain I was living, I was healing, I was cleansing, I was rooting, I was blooming.  I was wondering….why don’t we play in the rain more often?  I felt more energy after the run than before it.  Does common sense really tell us to not play in the rain?  Or, somewhere along the way, did the dread and inconvenience of the clean-up get placed ahead of the enjoyment of one of life’s simple pleasures like singing or playing in the rain.

Not to disrespect mothers, but Ive decided that moms everywhere were wrong.  I’m so glad that today I ignored my mom’s voice in my head telling me to “have enough common sense to get out of the rain”.  Ive realized that common sense is playing in the rain.  Common sense is in most ways, enjoying life through the eyes of a child. 

Maybe I’m just getting old, but There are no little blessings in life… just God’s invitation to life…that in itself is a blessing beyond measure.

Annette…come meet me outside…in the rain!