The sky hung heavy on July 15th, with grey airy clouds hovering over the town. A moist atmosphere that made clothes feel sticky. The dreary and bitter sadness that overwhelms populations, except for one. A little boy named Sam, who lived in a tall townhome in Winchester, England.
Sam was a curious kid, at only eight years of age, he was always out and about roaming throughout the city, a free spirit who relied on the adventures of the outside world. But today was special, it was St. Swithin’s Day. This day determined the course of weather for the next 40 days, whether it rains or shines.
As Sam woke up that morning his eyes felt heavy but he felt a sense of happiness that it was a new day. He got ready for school and prepared a bland breakfast of dry cereal with no milk. Many would think it’s an odd choice but it was his favorite. While enjoying a nutritious meal, Sam suddenly thought to himself, “I should get going so I don’t end up being late for school again.”
In a rush, he looked at the clock above his front door and realized he had a few minutes to get to the bus stop before it left. Sam grabbed his backpack and ran outside to head towards the stop. The swift wind flowed past Sam as he took each stride to make it towards the vehicle. And there it was. The bright yellow bus parked at the stop waiting for little Sam. With a loud honk, Sam jolted and hopped on before the bus left without him.
Sam’s school was pretty far from his house and his parents were always so busy heading to work in the morning that they didn’t have as much time to take him to school. No worries though because the bus was there to save him.
When Sam arrived at school, he headed to his favorite class of the day which was art. He loved to draw, paint, and create things off the top of his imagination, such as ponies with wings flying through marshmallow-like clouds. Despite it being a fantasy, it brought a smile upon his face.
A sudden pattering noise could be heard from above. Drip, Drop, Drip, Drop. To Sam’s surprise he took a quick gaze out the window of his classroom and saw that it had been raining.
The art teacher groaned, “Another 40 days of rain, it seems.” Sam was never too fond of the rain since it leaves you feeling wet and ruins your clothes most of the time, leaving it completely soggy and discolored.
As school ended, Sam stayed after school to get extra credit assignments for his worst subject, math, since his grade wasn’t that great, only to find out later that the bus had left without him. This only left Sam one option, to walk home.
With his hood up and white trainers, he pushed through the rain all the way home. One step at a time, he finally made it. Standing in front of his house, he noticed something to his right. A paper boat laid calmly on top of a still puddle. Although rain wasn’t Sam’s thing, he smiled.
Feeling encouraged, Sam went quickly inside his house and switched out his tennis shoes for his yellow rain boots. He then went outside and faced the little boat and the puddle. Instead of feeling discouraged that the rain would ruin his day, he saw the light in an inevitable weather event.
Splish splashing around, Sam jumped, hopped, and leaped, while having the time of his life enjoying the perks of Mother Nature. Playing pretend with the boat and moving it around it a wave like pattern to imitate it sailing the great seas. Being a kid means enjoying the little things most people don’t appreciate. And although Sam wasn’t a fan of the rain, he found the joy in it while he could.
As Sam’s parents came home from work, groaning and grumbling from this “poor” weather, Sam dragged them outside and had them play in the rain with him. Laughing, smiling, and splashing around, Sam taught them how to look on the bright side despite the weather not being favorable. Joy can be found in every moment.
