Tropical Storm

Thursday, May 29 marks eight days without the sun shining down on Puriscal, Costa Rica. For eight consecutive days and nights the skies have dumped an inconceivable amount of water on the picturesque countryside. I can easily say that in the four years we have lived here, this is the worst weather we have ever experienced. It is driving, persistant, continuous. Pounding droves are broken up by interludes of heavy drizzle. It is unnerving.

Rain is a reality here eight months out of the year. Usually it is mixed with hot, sunny mornings, but then there are these storms that can all but make us forget the sun will shine again. This particular storm has come with unusual winds which have introduced a new level of waterproofing. We have suddenly found ourselves battling a horizontal invasion of determined rain drops. Plastic curtains now seal off our otherwise open air utility room. Our doors and windows remain shut tight to maintain what ever heat our bodies may generate inside, we actually feel cold. Everything feels wet to the touch.

I am grateful we have a solid house with a good roof. Dealing with all of this water reminds me of the millions of people who are battleing the elements after having just lost their homes. Communities struggling to provide makeshift shelters. Families dealing with grief over having lost everything, including loved ones. How impossibly overwhelming. While I will welcome the sun when it returns, I'll hold my complaints of the inconveniences Mother Nature has brought apon our spot on this Earth. Things could always be worse.