after the rain

I am on a stony path, on the side of a steep wooded hill. There was some rain –rain and hail – quite a storm for an hour or so. But now the rain has stopped and the sun is shining, and it has brought a particular magic to this path. Everything is glistening: the rocks, the mud, glistening, and the leaves, the myriad leaves, every one is vibrant, glistening.

It feels as if the world has been refreshed by this storm. The rain has washed everything. It has cleared the air. Everything is fresh and very alive. It feels as if every plant is about to grow a little more because this rain has come. The birds are happy too, chirping and singing, full of life.

And feeling all this, I feel as if my body – not just my body, my being – has also been refreshed, cleansed. And this, this we need in life: a regular cleansing, washing away the dirt, washing away the old things that we need to let go of. And of course this washing might not always be pleasant, just as being caught in a storm feels cold and uncomfortable. But after a cleansing, we have this feeling of rebirth, revitalisation. We are like these plants. We are ready to grow again.

This is the feeling that is coming to me just now, as I sit in the woods, absorbing the glistening foliage. Ahh. And there is a peace in it, a certain tranquility that comes after the storm. That stillness, that peace, runs deeper than it was before the storm came even.

Yes, I feel both these in me at the moment. the reenergising, the revitalising, and at the same time a great tranquility: what a beautiful combination, what a beautiful gift to receive, after the rain.