For weeks I've wanted to write about friendship. As I get older, friendship becomes so much more special to me. I have become much more selective about who I invest my time into, which has lead me to deeper, more meaningful friendships. The friends I surround myself with now, I can genuinely say are some of the most incredible friends and people. Because of this, I have been trying to figure out what about them has drawn me to them and their presence? This is especially interesting since they are all so different yet equally incredible. Some of them are people that I have known for years and years but am connecting with now on a new level that was not able to exist in younger years of life. Some of them are people I met recently and instantly knew that I wanted to be their friends. They have different backgrounds and styles and ideals and really, everything. So, how do these people connect? How can I write about being friends with such lovely people when I am not sure the best way to describe their friendship and what it means to me? This is a question I have been struggling with until now.
As I sit in a coffee shop all alone my brain is flooded with fleeting thoughts but none that stick with me or that I want to delve into. The only thought that remains is my love of warm rain and how I think there is nothing greater. I find this kind of funny since it's a beautiful sunny day out that I have thoroughly enjoyed. So, I begin to pour out my thoughts on warm rain and how truly beautiful I find it. And all of the sudden I begin to connect some dots about why I am being so drawn to write about this and how easily the words are flowing when all I've been wishing I could write about for weeks is friendship and yet wasn't ever sure what to say about it. Warm rain and my friends go hand in hand.
There's two ideas about friendship and warm rain I took away from my free-flow writing. The first one is this, warm rain may be the one thing that really connects all of my friends. As I have said, I love warm rain more than anything else. If it is a sunny day and it starts to rain, some people become pessimistic, they believe that this is not suitable weather. But I don't see that. One of the things I love the most about warm rain is that it really isn't stopping you from going outside, in fact, I often believe it makes the best weather for the outdoors. The air is thick and hot but then there is water falling from the sky to cool you off. How wonderful is this concept? Another beautiful thing about warm rain is that it makes everyone more raw. The styled hair becomes stringy and wet, the make up melts off, the rain covers the skin catching the sunlight or the city lights on it and makes the skin glisten. And most importantly, it highlights the people who are available for adventure, it ignites them and their eyes light up at this new element. Every escapade is escalated when there is warm rain. Muddy messes, puddle jumping, catching raindrops on tongues, twirling around as the rain falls on you and spins off, conversation impassioned by the pureness of the situation allowing for complete presence in the moment. Everything is more alive. I think the way a person sees warm rain says a lot about their character. I've been friends with, and met, many people who run from the car to the house and dash from any situation as soon as rain appears. But when I look at the people I am closest to now, I don't think they'd do that, I think they'd revel in it with me. I think they could see how warm rain makes everything beautiful. I think they'd be ready for the adventure. What I've concluded connects my friends is this, they'd walk in the warm rain with me.
After I made this connection I made another realization about my friends and my love of warm rain. Warm rain is fresh. Warm rain washes all of the tarnish away. The past doesn't disappear but the present gets a chance to be cleaned. It also allows the world to grow. There may be a seed but without this water the plant will not develop. My friends are like this for me. When I am with them they don't focus on the less than stellar parts of my past, instead they view me as clean and focus on where to go from my present into the future ahead. And they grow me. They give me sustenance with their wisdom and their love for me. My friends are my warm rain.
Two years ago, friendship was one of my biggest struggles. I wasn't sure where to turn. I prayed that I would be able to find people that were truly my friends. This prayer enabled me to see some truths about people I met and interacted with, helping me to be more selective of the time spent. I wasn't sure what directed me to these people I just knew I was (and am) so grateful to have them in my life. If connection is something you're struggling with and are wondering who your true friends are and trying to find true friends as well, maybe start with a question: Who would take a walk with me in the warm rain? And maybe, you'll be lucky enough to find people that not only walk with you in the warm rain but actually, also, are your warm rain.
