My timer marks 20 minutes and rain starts falling. Temperature is at a pleasant 20° Celsius (68° F).

There are many thoughts that come to mind when I direct my attention to Running and Rain. Atl, the nahuatl word for water. I remember a walk with Tania, many years ago, where she invited me to notice the beauty of walking in the rain without having to worry about anything, embracing the rain and moment. The acronym RAIN (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture) that I first learned from Tara Brach, arises in mindbody, too.

I notice the sound of rain and thunder as I run through a park full of tall standing and present trees. I become interested in the trees and search their names when I arrive home: Maples, Larch, Honey locust, Tuliptree, Ginko, Larch, Turkish Hazelnut and Silver Birch.

The beautiful sound of multiplicity of raindrops falling on endless leaves while birds sing their harmonious and soothing songs. I see a blackbird taking a bath in a fresh mini pond and a child at a distance jumping into a puddle of water. I loved to do that as a kid!

A memory of two weeks ago comes to mind, the Vollmond Ultramarathon I ran next to Tegeler See and the Havel, a lake and a river. The memory instantly brings my mind to a place of peace and ease.

Rain has been absent in Berlin for more than a month and I’m grateful for rain today.