The splatter of rain on the roof at night is supposedly a calming sound that many people like to hear. So a lot of people love when it rains at night because it creates a cozy atmosphere where one can snuggle under the warmth of the bed covers listening to the lullaby of rain that helps them drift away. I have seen so many soundtracks of rain and thunder available online to help people sleep better. The soft monotonous sound of zillions of water droplets landing on the roof provides an anchor for the restless mind to tether to. Sleep is a crucial part of life that helps people to relax and recharge themselves for another day. Therefore rain and its sound are a blessing for those who find it relaxing.
But for me, it’s a very different experience. Personally, I do not like night rains. Because for me, the sound of rain on the roof evokes so many unsettling thoughts. Every time rain starts at night I lie on the bed, images flashing in my mind. Images of people who have no roof over their head, children who have no protection against the cold, street animals soaked and shivering in corners, leaking roofs, and leaking eyes of the desperate. And the peace is gone.
These are things that I have no control over. But I can’t help thinking about these things when I hear the sound of rain on the roof. I feel it wrong to feel relaxed while the less fortunate suffer. But again, a voice inside my head tells me that there is no point in feeling bad about things that I cannot control for my empathy or guilt won’t change a thing for them. That voice says that with all these disturbing thoughts I am only killing a moment of peace and relaxation. And my thought process ends up on the fence, maintaining a fine balance between peace and guilt.
Rain will continue to fall. Rain has no discrimination. It will pelt over everyone whether they have a roof over their head or not. Rain will not consider who is cold and who is soaked. Nature is fair and just to everyone and everything. It is the injustice and corruption of humans and their oblivion to each other’s plight that make the rain seems heartless. That is why a simple night rain that puts one person to sweet slumber gives another one a sodden sleepless night.
With a train of thoughts, I wait till the rainfall eases. Then I close my eyes only hoping that the fading rain will relax my mind.