I expected to be bombarded with mosquitoes as I have been each time I've attempted a few moments outside all week, but today there were none. A gentle rain had begun and cleared the air of oppressing heat and thankfully, annoying insects.
It was so cathartic to just stop. STOP. I stood there with my face upturned and I slowly relaxed into the rain drops that seemed to tentatively leap onto my face.
More so than the smells that are part jungle and part childhood, or the rain drops that sprinkled my eyes back to life, it was the sound that sent my soul reeling.
All of a sudden, as if from nowhere, the clattering motor of the summer cicadas began their windup in unison before delving into their evening lullaby. The buzzing, vibrating, shrill volume of those mysterious bugs sang right in to my heart. I experienced such a relief from the adult world of tomorrows and to-dos. There is a lot to do, there has been a lot to do, there is more still to do but in the midst of it all, all the provision, blessings, rest and exhaustion, it was a gift to stop and listen.
The sounds of summer in the Carolina South could be spiritual dinner bell that calls me home to the me I love best. The aroma of magnolia blossoms nearly distilled from two weeks of June heat, the wet dirt, the knocking of the rain drops on the wood porch, and the deafening chorus of the cicadas all brought forth a waterfall of precious memories from many, many Carolina summers.
Recognize the energy you share in life is eternal and then you will embrace the journey with continuous care.