Rain

Have you ever been cozy inside when you hear a gentle pitter-patter on your window? That’s me, saying hello. Sometimes I arrive quietly, with a soft drumming sound that can lull you to sleep. Other times, I announce myself with a loud rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning. I draw wiggly lines down the glass and make the world outside look shiny and new. Can you imagine a world without puddles for splashing in with your rain boots? I create the best ones—the bigger, the better. I have a special smell, too. When I fall on dry earth, I release a fresh, clean scent that lets everyone know I’ve arrived. People have watched me dance from the sky for thousands of years, wondering where I come from. Am I tears from the clouds? Am I a gift from the heavens? I am all of that and something much more simple. Hello, I am Rain.

My journey is a giant, endless circle, and you’re part of it, too. It all starts with the sun. When the sun shines its warm rays on oceans, lakes, and even tiny puddles on the sidewalk, it tickles the water, and tiny, invisible bits of it float up into the sky. This is called evaporation. I am so light that I can float way, way up, joining billions of other water droplets. Up in the cool air, we huddle together to stay warm, forming big, fluffy clouds. That’s called condensation. We drift across the sky, like big ships sailing on a blue sea. But soon, our cloud gets crowded and heavy. We bump into each other and join together, growing bigger and bigger until we can’t float anymore. Then, we tumble back down to Earth. That’s me, falling as rain. This amazing journey is called the water cycle. For a very long time, people didn't understand this. An ancient Greek thinker named Aristotle, who lived over two thousand years ago, was one of the first to watch me carefully. Around the year 340 BCE, he wrote down his ideas, explaining that the sun must be lifting water into the air. He didn't have all the answers, but he was on the right track. Later, scientists with powerful tools figured out all the details of my big adventure. They learned that I am not magic, but something even more wonderful: a planet-sized system that shares water with everyone and everything.

When I fall, I get to work. I give a cool drink to the thirsty flowers in your garden and the tall trees in the forest. I water the fields where farmers grow corn, wheat, and all the yummy fruits and vegetables you eat. Without me, there would be no apples to crunch or strawberries to enjoy. I fill up the rivers that flow to the sea, giving fish a home and providing water for animals to drink. I wash the dust off the leaves and make the whole world sparkle. The water you drink from your faucet? I helped put it there, by filling up the lakes and reservoirs that store it for your town. Sometimes I am a gentle shower, and other times I am a powerful storm, reminding everyone of nature’s strength. I am a connection between the sky and the ground, between the past and the future. Every drop of me has been on this journey for millions of years. So next time you see me tapping at your window, remember my great adventure. I’m on my way to help the world grow, to keep it clean, and to start my amazing journey all over again.