Personal Narrative: Starring The Rain

Starring the Rain

Summer is the time of year to let loose and have fun. School is out and there are no deadlines to meet, papers to write, or grades to fret over. The summer before third grade is definitely the one to remember. It was a time to watch the stars, get caught in the rain, and really learn how minor moments can mean so much more.

Gazing at the stars for the first time is something I will never forget. My mom had just moved to North Carolina and my brother brought a friend down to hang out for the weekend. Since it was a rare occasion to have everyone together at the same time and in the same spot, we did everything possible to make the weekend memorable. Our new house had mini French doors that opened onto the flat part of the

roof. Ryan, Ben, and I went out onto the roof at almost two in the morning to watch the stars. Although they were nine years older than me, I felt like for once they actually listened to me. I was able to tell them how excited I was that we got a new house and new dog named Snickers, but how I also did not really want my mom to get remarried. We sat outside for almost two hours with Ryan trying to teach me where the constellations were and how they were made. Obviously I did not understand. That was more his hobby than mine. We only left the roof when it started to rain.
An unexpected rain shower came through at four o'clock that summer morning, and it just made everything more entertaining.

The stars looked so much bigger and brighter. It was amazing how much more interested I was in them as soon as the rain made them look like that. It was easier to distinguish where the constellations were and I finally understood why Ryan took his telescope outside every chance possible. We decided that since everyone was already wet, we might as well do something else. We all ran into the house quickly and back out through the front door to go into the yard. That was the first time I ever danced in the rain, and I still cherish that moment today. I am glad it was with my brother and Ben since back then, I hardly ever got to hang out with my big brother. Apparently it was uncool to have a little sister around. However, in that moment, I do not think he cared what others would have thought. We were just dancing like retards and had no care in the world. In the middle of dancing like fools, Ryan and Ben decided to sneak attack me and throw me into a mud puddle. Before I could get revenge on them, Ryan said to hang on a second, and went back into the house. He returned with a whole bunch of glowstick

packages.
Not everything had been unpacked since we had just moved in, including the box with leftover glowsticks from July 4th. We just started opening and cracking as many as we could. We wore them around our necks, our arms, legs, and heads. Wherever we could find space on our bodies, we put on glowsticks. Then all the leftovers got thrown into mud puddles and the pool in our backyard. While Ben was standing beside a huge mud puddle, I pushed him in and ran for my life. As soon as he started running after me though, Ryan came from nowhere and threw him in the pool. This turned into a full on pool party really early in the morning. We were all dirty from the mud and there was grass everywhere on us, so we definitely got yelled at later by my mom for contaminating the pool.
Small moments like these are the ones to hold onto for as long as possible.

That morning was the morning I learned that sometimes happiness is quite easy to achieve as long as one can take a step back and realize what they have. My brother has been gone for almost eight years, and that is the best memory I have of him. That is the story I shared at his funeral, and I made sure everyone knew how important it is to slow down for once and just think about how many positive things can outweigh the negative ones. Life is not eternal and there is never enough time in the world to achieve everything everyone wants. Doing what is possible and living life to the fullest is all that can be

done.
Cherishing the insignificant moments is something everyone should do. Things like watching the stars and dancing in the rain can mean so much more looking back at it. Everything happens for a reason, so embrace it. Never take life for granted; tomorrow is never promised and everyone needs happy memories to keep them going every once and a while.