Now don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy a soft quiet rain, that gently bathes everything and makes the air shimmer with tiny rain drops. But, when it comes down in heavy buckets drenching everything and everybody, coupled with lightning flashing across the sky, with booming thunder stunningly loud – well that’s another story!

Yesterday, I had just finished presenting a tea program for thirty-eight people and was packing up all my stuff – laptop, projector, screen, five air pots of tea, plus several bags of cups, napkins, cookies and leftover handouts and the list goes on and on. Now, during the program, I did glance out the window several times and noticed that the sky was turning a dark grey, with tiny misty drops, beginning to quietly dot the windows. But, as people were leaving – and I was just about to walk out the door – all I heard was muffled mutterings and moans on how it was now POURING and no one had an umbrella, or if they had one it was in their car. So, by the time all “my stuff” was finally in the car (after numerous trips) I was completely soaked from head to toe!

The drive home was miserable, the cats and dogs rain never quit, the thunder was still roaring and lightning streaks were running across the sky. Once at home, I did the following – first, I put all my wet clothes in the dryer, next I put on my pajamas, then I made a cup of tea and finally sat down in my office and stared at my bird feeders outside the window, swinging almost off their hooks!

The tea was comforting and soothing, just what I needed. With just that bit of liquid, the stress of walking to the car loaded down with STUFF, dripping wet, with soggy socks, was gone. I immediately began to feel a warm sense of calmness and peace. That quiet cup of tea boosted my happy hormones and turned me into a happy soul. It didn’t stop raining until sometime in the evening. So, for the rest of the afternoon I sat by my office window, drinking tea, reading and watching the bird feeders spinning around, with an occasional sparrow trying to hang on for dear life. Everything was just about perfect, and a nap was inevitable. Once though, through sleepy eyes I looked out the window I swear I saw several birds holding umbrellas, as they sat idly on the bird house, with the rain stilt pelting down. I think I was tea drunk, perhaps – for who ever heard of birds holding umbrellas? But just at the same time as I was gawking at the umbrella birds, a duck in a yellow rain hat carrying a purple umbrella was waddling towards the pond at the back of our house! Now I knew I was tea drunk or what the Chinese call cha zui.

All I can say, I had to be tea drunk – high on my favorite Indian tea – seeing things like birds with umbrellas and a duck wearing a yellow rain hat. But do you know what, the next time it rains, I’m going to look for those birds, because wouldn’t be fun, if it were true!