Rainy Afternoons

Patter-patter-patter.

I find the sound of the rain against the umbrella really satisfying. Sometimes, I'll hum to the rhytm, but most of the times, I just enjoy the ambience. The days grow shorter now, colder. I need a jacket for the evening walks, something with deep pockets to hold the chestnuts I find irresistible to pick up.

Halloween is almost upon us, and it makes me think how many people think about October through the lens of it. For me, it's that, of course - Halloween is my favourite holiday - but there's more.

I like sitting in the local cemetery and thinking about how life passes. There is stillness there that doesn't demand anything from me. I think about all these petty little squabbles, tiny things people get upset over - but the headstones provide a necessary perspective. In ten, fifteen, twenty years, will these frictions matter? Will I even remember what the argument was about? As I grew older, I definitely started to handle bad days better; I simply ask myself, "Will I care about this awful person in a few years' time?"

No.

No, I won't.

I have way more important things to think about

There are so many kind, helpful souls in the world; you really just find them everywhere. Just today, I spoke to two separate people - nothing major, just small talk in a cafe - but it was everything when they lit up and laughed at my jokes. Perfect strangers, really; no history to manage, no expectations to meet, just the raw, spontaneous energy of two strangers crossing paths.

We watched the rain together and we chatted about everything and nothing. No negativity. No performance anxiety. Just... connection. It's a strange paradox: the more I understand about my own mind - the way I loop thoughts or get overwhelmed by the most mundane things (the noise of the extractor fan, anyone?), the more I appreciate the simplicity of a shared smile. So much of our world is digital now, a series of curated images flickering on screens, but those little moments of human touch, the warmth of a nearby body, the shared observation of a raindrop racing down a windowpane? Those are beautiful.

I often sketch these moments later. Not the people, exactly, but the conversation itself. For a few moments, I get to revisit these small pockets of time, where two people who love the rain get to laugh about overpriced coffee.

...speaking of which, my mug is empty again. Time for a refill

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What is the most beautiful, unexpected moment of connection you ever had with a stranger? Make sure to let us know in the comments below