Life’s Surprises: Of Rainfall and Marketplaces

(Photo Credit Link: pranav)

For the past few weeks, it was scorching hot everywhere that I had to remind myself to bring a water jug every time I got out of the house to keep myself hydrated and to avoid any fainting spells because of the heat.

But, today? Today’s different… ;-)

I arrived home bringing along this huge bag filled with onions, tomatoes, garlic, calamansi, radish, and fishballs that I bought at the market. My sandals were wet. My jeans were a bit drenched. Some of my hair strands had silvery drops of rain hugging to them that slowly trickled down to my arms. And you know what? I love it all! J I truly, truly love it!

No, I’m not crazy. I’m not trying to pull your leg. And I’m definitely not trying to psyche myself up. This is automatic. This is honest-to-goodness love and childlike fondness for things.

If you’ve been following this blog, for sure, you are aware that I love it when it rains. My love for this started when I was so young. I just love talking about my fondness for the rain while it waters everything in sight. The air is so cool. Everything’s so colorful because of the many various umbrellas clumping together or moving apart from one street to another. The faces of people look bright and alert; but I also noticed some of them grimly looking up at the sky and probably wishing it will all end soon.

(Photo Credit Link: whologwhy)

And did I mention that I love taking deep breaths when I’m outside and the raindrops are falling everywhere around me, with a few sprinkling on my face, my hair, my arms and feet? Yes, I do, because I could feel that minty freshness of cleanliness all around. Like everything’s been vacuumed clean without a speck of dust in sight!

Oh, and just wait ‘til I get to that part AFTER the rainfall and you just smell the freshness of newly watered plants and flowers. It’s just so refreshing! Really! It automatically brings me to a Feel-Good state. Why don’t you try it sometime when you’re in the dumps? I highly recommend it.

Oh, did you notice I said “market?” Well, I wasn’t too fond of that place when I was a kid. The first time my parents brought me and my nanny along on their trip to the market, that was the time they wished they hadn’t, and the day they decided they would never ever bring me there again. 

Why? Well, because as soon as I got out of the car and smelled the scent of uncooked meat and fish, my head started spinning like crazy and (Note: Those with weak stomachs and a vivid imagination should skip this part.) I vomited on the ground of the parking lot - just a few steps away from the marketplace; I vomited on my dress; I just continued vomiting until I was ushered inside the car for a fresh change of clothes and a refreshing drink of cold water. Take note, they haven’t even brought me inside the place yet. I guess, when you’re a kid, your sense of smell is heightened. ;-)

The first time I ever got to step inside - but still without breathing everything in and my lungs, desperately in need of fresh air, felt like imploding any minute - was in high school when a few of my classmates had this odd habit of going in and out of the marketplace after classes, looking for uncooked food, trinkets and figurines to bring home.

I would often suggest that it would be better to do their shopping at an enclosed, air conditioned grocery store at the mall. But they wouldn’t listen. And, besides, they said, it’s nearer (just a few blocks away from our school) and things are cheaper.

 

(Photo Credit Link: Peter Curbishley)

You know how it is in high school, especially in an all-girls school (or perhaps, it’s just me) when everyone wanted to be part of a group of close friends. I wanted that, too - but, hopefully, minus the market part.

But, oh well, I guess life has its own delightful twists because I gained friends - lots, actually - who love the market to pieces!

Since the market seemed like our usual hangout after classes (aside from McDonalds, PizzaHut, the mall and the movies), I slowly gained their weird affection for the place and started to get immune to its smell until I was like everyone else who would normally go in and out of the market without feeling sick. You could imagine the surprise and sheer joy of my parents when they learned about that. ;-)

Anyway, going back to the present, it rained so hard when I was going home from the market this morning. And, you know what? It dawned on me that life’s little surprises truly make things perfect because these things bring the biggest amounts of joy with a dash of contentment to make things a whole lot better.

Imagine, it took awhile before I learned to appreciate the presence of the marketplace because of friends. That’s why it was no big deal when I went there awhile ago. I even got a welcome bonus when the raindrops suddenly poured down with all its strength to make everything fresh, clean and cool like someone turned on the air conditioner at the highest level. It was like being in a huge mall! I didn’t even need that water jug awhile ago. ;-)

I guess, most of the time, life’s surprises happen all at once. Sometimes, it takes a few days or months to appear in one’s life. Perhaps, you would notice that you’ve loved that surprise ever since. And at other times, you’d realize that it wasn’t even part of your likes and most-loved treasures when you were younger. All the same, these things still manage to bring in the biggest amounts of joy and contentment - making most of what’s been bugging you lately easier to handle.

Cheers to life’s beautiful surprises! I hope you’re having a happy weekend. I’ll see you next post! ;-)

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