Let us get back to nature this week.

The natural wonders of this world are so varied, and so many, this topic alone could keep me in posts all year long.  But to me, one of the most amazing aspects of these wonders is how easily we take them for granted.

All you have to do is step outside, and some wonder of nature will greet you.  Whether we are talking about clouds or snow or just the smell of the air, wondrous elements surround us all the time.

This week I want to explore another extremely common wonder.   From clouds I examined snow.  As spring descends upon us, I want to explore the wonder of rain.

Rain brings nutrients to the plants, refreshes the reservoirs, and often provides a cleansing of the Earth.  Roads have winter salt washed away, cars get their bodies cleaned, and the world takes a shower.

Certainly rain can be a nuisance.  Wet roads can be dangerous to drive upon.  Too much rainfall can cause flooding.  When you want to go out for a walk on the first day above freezing in three months (but the rain is falling practically sideways) this does not make for going outside (unless, of course, you enjoy being soaked to the bone in chilly water).

The actual falling of rain, though, is a healthy part of the Earth’s lifecycle.  It promotes growth, it helps streams and rivers to flow and carry sediment to needed fields, in summer it reduces the bug population and stickiness of humidity from the air.

Rainfall takes so many forms.  The general dampness of a misting; the few droplets of a sprinkle; a soaking, sunkissed sunshower; the steady fall from a grey cloud; the deluge seemingly coming at you sideways from a cloud nearly black in hue.  All called rain, all evolving from the same origins.

Beyond the science and nature of rain, however, there is an intricacy and a beauty that is often hard to see.  Each drop of rain, though certainly not as unique as a snowflake, has its own shape, its own reflectivity, its own size.  A single drop of rain can be viewed to almost possess within it a whole world.

The amazing multi-color prism of a raindrop can be stunning to behold.  Every color you can imagine can be found at the right angle, in the right light with a raindrop.

We are so used to simply noting that the sky is crying, and the ground is damp.  We easily neglect the wonder and amazement that is the rain.

And thus, I ask this – next rainy day, stop a moment and wonder at the rain.

I am MJ Blehart, your wordsmith for “Wednesday’s Wondrous World”.  Every week I will be sharing a wonder of this amazing world, and I hope you will enjoy the journey with me!

Check out my blog, The Ramblings of a Titanium Don, for more of my philosophical and topical opinions.

Also now available, Pathwalking: A 21st Century Philosophy in Book and Kindle form!