Rain
Waking up early is a routine. Preparing food and getting ready for another school day, but September 18, was uncommon. What made me awake a bit earlier was the unrelenting rustle and uproar of the rain. My husband woke up also so early to respond to flood of text messages for questions whether classes are suspended or not. Being an administrator in a private school, the decision rests on him especially as in most cases when announcement from local executives is either delayed or unavailable.
Past 6 a.m., the UP Cebu Dean informed us that there will be no classes and work. Such announcement has been posted in various social media sites. Indeed a commendable quick response. It shows her sensitivity to what was going on and the possible implications of not suspending classes.
Surfing the Internet, we searched for the latest weather news-a long and winding quest until we turned to over a little wallet-sized radio which we bought at a knockdown price in a local store. Doing so was nostalgic, reminiscent of the past in rural areas where radio was the only reliable communication gadget providing afternoon dramas, late evening entertainment and early morning news. It was indeed the radio anchors who were very early in providing information about the weather.
Though the wind was not so strong, or even absent in almost the entire duration, the rainfall seemed unstoppable. And as we all know in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue, with little downpour, we can wade in instant swimming pools! As creeks and esteros have been clogged that in every rainy season it has become a perennial headache, a problem we always wonder what our local executives have been doing all these years!
From inside, we watched the rain as it slowly crept to our house. Apprehensive and praying that it would not last long for if not, we would really be wading inside.
When there's so much rain, as if the world stops. It's difficult to go out. It's unwieldy to do something. Perhaps to many, staying at home is a more viable, relaxing alternative. But this also renders us seemingly unproductive.
Some office workers, they lamented that it's not only the students and parents who would be affected by the heavy downpour when there are classes. So why only classes are suspended? Why it won't be a non-working day also because they too would experience difficulty? They are not waterproofed after all. But of course the very reason why there is a need to suspend classes, especially for the basic education is that, as children, they are the most vulnerable in terms of coping with this difficulty. They don't have much physical strength and wisdom to brace whenever they encounter similar impediment. We do not want them to experience such difficulty on their own. They need the guidance from adults.
People have different views about rain. In some countries, rain is so scarce that certain communities have practiced rituals to bring about rain. Not just for drinking water for people and the wildlife, but for farmers who need rain to grow their crops. Truly a blessing to them for it signals a planting season, a break to long dry months-vital for the cycle of life. We would also be worried when our dams would reach to a critical level of water inadequacy. However, in other countries where there is no shortage of rainfall, it is seen as nothing more than an inconvenience. Even worse, recent heavy rainfall has resulted in severe flooding and deaths—a major disaster. Rain, in this way, can be seen as both the giver and the taker of life.
Whether it's less or more, let's just take it as nature lays its natural course. It is nature's way of telling me to hold back and take my day dawdling. I was very preoccupied with my initial daily routine. And supposedly for the rest of the wearing day, but I just stopped. And relished the moment with my dear ones.
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