Sunday Rainy Monday

I love it when it rains. It gets cold. It would be so nice to snuggle on bed with blankets with the lights off. There’s something in the sound of heavy rainfall crashing down that calms the senses. Maybe that’s what gushing water does; in the same way that the sound of fountain, waterfalls or flowing stream soothes the spirits. But I think there’s more with heavy rainfall. It seems to be nature’s way of telling you to take a break. When the downpour gets too loud, it gets too difficult to continue with any sort of work you’re still trying to finish. It leaves you no choice but to pause and take a time out. It would be nice to sip some hot coffee, or some macaroni soup, or just lie down and let the cold doze you off.

It started late Saturday morning. It just poured down strongly all of a sudden, but stopped after some time. Then, there was another one in the afternoon. The early evening was quiet (or at least at where I was). When I congratulated a friend in Calabanga for passing the LET, he responded with an audio clip with torrential rains on the background which was certainly a far cry from the quiet evening in Canaman. I suppose in the middle of our sleep towards the midnight and early morning, those rain clouds made its way over us and poured out aplenty. In the morning, it was not very consistent. The sun still managed to cut through the clouds. It was nice to sink myself in sleep, but I had to go to church. It was also nice to go home early after the service, but I couldn’t do that very easily because before noon, the waters were whipping waywardly here and there, that I got stuck under some canopy for longer than I wanted to, waiting for the rains to helplessly stop. I finally managed to get home, by hitching on a friend’s ride, way past lunch time.

After making up for late lunch and hanging my soaked socks to dry, it was time to relax in the rain before it stops. I was sure then that any time it would stop, maybe later in the afternoon, but it did not. Maybe,it would in the evening, but it did not. Maybe it would the next morning, but it did not. Maybe it would later, but it did not. It went on and on, and on and on. The ravaging rains rushed down with sustained strength. I like it when it rains but that was getting to be unbelievable. It became ridiculous to even go out the following day. Of course, we could have food delivered, but all delivery services marked themselves temporarily unavailable. Yes, I still enjoyed the rain. But the fun is spoiled when flood waters rise inside the house, residents have to be evacuated, roads become inaccessible, and safety and health are threatened.

There isn’t any typhoon, is there? So, what is it? A low pressure area? That thing which they call an inter-tropical convergence zone? Is this an effect of the prevailing monsoon winds? That which they call a shear line? It is a good thing that this occurred when classes are on Christmas break. Had it happened otherwise, children from 5 to 17 would have gotten caught in the heavy rains because the authorities would probably not suspend classes because there is no official reason to do so. It is rather ridiculous how rules and regulations can restrict common sense. We are grateful for local officials who were quick to respond in evacuating residents in low barangays or zones which were getting submerged by every hour. On the other hand, it is every person’s responsibility to proactively evacuate the family when rains make the water rise, and not just stand on the chairs to avoid feet from getting wet. On one hand, it would have been better if it was a typhoon. At least, in such a case, there would be clear warning signals and corresponding precautions and preparations would have been carried out by concerned institutions.

Reports have it that the amount of rain which fell was equivalent to the amount of rain normally released by the clouds in a month. We just took in a month’s rain in two days. Who would ever thought something torrential like that would happen a week before Christmas? With something as unnatural as that, I’m surprised that we didn’t make it to the national news. I guess, once again, nature reminded us that we can never know what the clouds of tomorrow bring.

“I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.” Leviticus 26:4