COLUMN: Jogging after the rain creates breathtaking moments
There’s this thing I think happens to everyone at some point, but I don’t know what its called, or if it even has a name. It can happen at anytime, and it is inexplicably one of the greatest experiences to be had. The only thing that I can think to say when trying to describe this phenomenon is that I’ve had a moment. And then an explanation is always required.
About a month or so ago, I was coming home alone from a friend’s house. It was late at night and the recent rainy snow had made a slush on the street. The lower temperatures the night brought turned the unevenly spread slush solid. I was on my bike, as usual, trying to stay upright and move across the surface of this obstacle course covered in ice. Every few seconds was a near disaster, as I crept slowly home. I had to laugh out loud to myself a few times at the hilarity of the scene. And then, the moment suddenly started to evolve. I somehow noticed the stillness of the night and the unusually dark sky.
It must have been a new moon, the only light was from the few house lights still on, and everything was so quiet. The unsettling quietness of the night seemed to enhance every sound I was making — the sound of the layer of ice crackling underneath me, my wheels slipping every few seconds, the sound of my coat swishing against itself and my own laughter. I looked up to see that there were almost no clouds in the sky, and the stars were bright and clear.
It lasted for only a few seconds, I was in some kind of nirvana. Everything in that moment had aligned to make me forget any other possible stresses in my life and to be enveloped in such a unique and somewhat surreal happiness.
I still don’t know what it was that caused it, but it was something I tried to hold onto for as long as I could. It couldn’t have taken me long enough to get home, and the moment that I had was over too fast. I don’t think you can even re-create these moments. It seems to be a one-time thing.
I imagine that these moments that we have could come in almost any circumstance or situation, and it is most likely different for everyone, but I would say that the few times I can remember it happening to me have been in outdoor settings — if that is the only thing that qualifies me to write this column then I’ll take it.
A friend of mine, Becca, who I asked about her experience with these inexplicable moments also said that with her they were always in an outdoor setting. She described to me one of the times she had been moved by the magic that the outdoors can provide.
She was jogging one summer in the evening. It had been raining for most of the day and everything was still wet, enhancing the colors surrounding her and making everything more vibrant. As she ran the sun dropped beneath the clouds. Once there was nothing blocking it’s rays, the sun did the most magical thing imaginable — it illuminated a double rainbow.
According to Becca, it was the most ethereal beauty she had ever seen. On top of this heavenly scene, it was still drizzling, but the temperature was warm enough that wetness wasn’t an uncomfortable one. The glittering sidewalk, the intense colors and the extremity of the beauty created a euphoria for Becca. Better than any drug, this amazing episode left her awestruck at the romantic scene the world had just made right before her eyes.
To what can we contribute these magnificent moments? Could it be adrenaline? Maybe endorphins? Or is it just the power of nature itself? Either way, why don’t I spend more time looking for them? I know I said they can’t be recreated, but if I spent more time in the outdoors, where these things tend to happen, my chances would increase right? If you haven’t actually experienced one of these moments that are too ecstatic to even bear a worthy name, I hope you soon do. Spend some time outdoors and increase your chances for having one. They are actually quite nice.
–d.steiner@aggiemail.usu.edu