Rain Never Leave

... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS DUPLIN... ONSLOW AND JONES COUNTIES THROUGH 930 PM EDT...

AT 845 PM EDT... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER POTTERS HILL... OR ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF HALF MOON... MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

HAZARDS INCLUDE... GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH.

SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARLY BUILDING OR VEHICLE. STRONG WINDS ARE CAPABLE OF KNOCKING DOWN SMALL TREES AND BLOWING AROUND TRASH CANS... POTTED PLANTS... LAWN FURNITURE AND OTHER LIGHT OUTDOOR OBJECTS.

This is what I was greeted with this afternoon by the sometimes hated Weather.com. It also scrolled across my tv distracting me from yelling at Obama to hurry up his Presidential Address so I could find out the finalists on The Voice. The house was light up with lightning and surrounded by claps of thunder. Blinkin seemed unaffected sleeping in his unorthodox napping location on the dolphin coffee table. The dogs' barks echoed through the yard and could be heard in the living room. Dels was nowhere to be found, but most likely sleeping under someone's bed. During all this, I could hear the rain. 

I've always loved the rain. I believe falling asleep to the sound of rainfall is just about the most perfect way possible. I've been known to take walks in the downpour just to be in the rain, other times to help me with some emotional distress. Spending an hour in the pouring rain heals my broken heart time and time again, even a chipped knuckle or two. I'm the type of girl you'll find dancing in a field during a rainstorm to feel the earth move around her. For some reason I've always felt more at peace underneath all those rain clouds.

Many of my poetry over the years has used the theme of rain being the all healing force. It was the most constant recurring object or idea throughout all my verses. The idea of rain washing away all the pain, confusion, mistakes from one's soul and heart has been one of the few comforts I've held onto from a young age. Along with the rain, on the opposite end was the hurting power, the force that I used to symbolize all forms of pain possible in such a young girl's world. This of course, was fire. Fire and rain, or water if you want to get technical, are opposing elements and I've grown to appreciate the beauty of both of them. Because of this, I've been planning something over the past few years to celebrate the impact the symbolism both have had on my life.

This is just a rough sketch I drew about two years ago of the tattoo I design to commemorate both rain and fire. The writing in the top right corner is a bit tough to read, but it says "Raindrop with Flame behind right shoulder". The raindrop itself was going to go from the base of my neck to the edge of my shoulder containing the ball of fire. Above it, I wanted a smaller drop down the remainder of my neck. In total, the tattoo would go from my hairline to the edge of my shoulder. I fell in love with both the idea the second I envisioned it and the drawing once I got it down on paper. I love the idea of the rain containing fire. It's my healing, soothing power easing all the pain and hurt I've felt throughout my life. It's a way of instilling within myself that I can get through any struggle as long as I push forward and allow any healing forces into my life. I tend to forget that more often than not, maybe having it permanently on my body I'll remember. 

I honestly do love the rain.