Rain

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter. Do you hear that gentle tapping sound on your roof? That’s me. Sometimes I like to race down your windowpane in little zig-zag lines, making the world outside look all blurry and beautiful. Have you ever put on bright yellow boots to splash in the puddles I leave behind? Or maybe you’ve watched me give a thirsty flower a long, cool drink. I make the grass and the street smell fresh and clean, a special smell just for after I visit. I travel all over the world, from the biggest cities to the quietest forests, and I have been doing it forever. I bet you know who I am. I am Rain.

My journey is a big adventure, like a giant circle that never ends. It all starts when the warm, friendly Sun smiles down on the big oceans and sleepy lakes. The sunshine gently lifts me up, up, up into the sky. I become so light, almost like a ghost, that I can float. In the big blue sky, I meet millions of my other droplet friends. We hold hands and cuddle close, making fluffy white clouds that drift on the wind. But when too many of us gather together, the cloud gets very full and heavy. It can’t hold us anymore. Whoosh. We tumble back down to the ground to say hello again. For a very long time, people didn't know about my big journey. They just knew that when I showed up, their gardens were happy. Long ago, around the 10th millennium BCE, early farmers learned to watch the sky. They knew that when the seasons changed, I would come to help their plants grow big and strong for them to eat. Much later, a very wise man named Thales, who lived in a place called Greece around the 6th century BCE, started thinking like a scientist. He figured out my secret, that I was part of a wonderful cycle with the sun and the sea.

My work is never done, and it is very important. I fill up the rivers and lakes so everyone has fresh water to drink and splash in. I help the giant trees in the forest grow tall and green, making cozy homes for squirrels and birds. I help farmers grow the yummy fruits and vegetables you eat for dinner. Sometimes, when the sun peeks out while I’m still falling, I do something magical. I work with the sunshine to paint a beautiful rainbow across the sky, just to say hello to you. I am a gift for the whole world, washing everything clean and helping new things begin. So the next time you hear me tapping on your window, remember my big journey. Know that I am busy taking care of our wonderful planet, one little drop at a time.