10 December 2003 µ 2:00 pm
push me on the swings, watch me walk the monkey bars

It rained yesterday. The ground opened its mouth and drank in the moisture that fell from the bleak sky. I stood, in the middle of a parking lot, my feet getting wet as a puddle gathered around them. I let my eyes linger near the lights – my head was turned upwards and I watched as the rain slid through the light. I watched the shadows and the movement of the water. I felt the beauty of the moment running through my veins like the rain running down strands of my hair. I smiled, tilted my head back even further and listened as droplets formed on my glasses, impairing my vision.

I watched as other people (blurred of course) dashed from storefronts to their cars, holding their jackets close or raising their umbrellas over their heads. I pursued the rain, let it touch me, let it feel my skin. Too often, we forget to take in the nature that surrounds us. I imagined a grey and purple painting, potentially a project for my future. The image is ingrained in my head.

Then, I determined I should enjoy what I was experiencing. I spun, splashed in puddles, walked through mud – enjoyed the moment on an entirely different level. There I stood again, five years ago – in a white shirt and baggy jeans, swinging my hair in the rain and laughing, bare feet prancing along pavement, small rocks leaving punctures on my soles.

It feels good to be alive. Even now, as I think of those 15 minutes that happened nearly 20 hours ago, as I look out my window at the tree limbs that bob and duck from the wind, I once again find myself encompassed with a passion for life – an energy, a lack of fear, a need for more... The world is my playground, and I’m the happiest kid in town.