It rained 5.6 centimeters yesterday

It used to be when it rained it rained. I usually didn’t know it was on the way or how long it would last. When the storm had passed the sun came out and I never knew, or thought to care about, how many inches or centimeters or millimeters of rain the storm had deposited. Nor did I keep track of these rain totals through the season or compare them to previous seasons.

It used to be when I rode my bike I rode my bike. I didn’t map out routes or record mileage or the number of times I had completed a given route…

…as it used to be with running and calories and cars and beers and burritos and a few of the other important things in life. I have no explanation for why I do all this recording, but I’m sure this counting affects the outcome of my reality. (What’s that theory that links the outcome of a given scientific experiment to the observer… something about molecules acting differently when we’re around watching them… self-conscious molecules?)

The numbers have nothing to do with why I ride or run (or eat burritos), but I do find myself comparing numbers with other people out there and wondering if I could/should/would ride more, run more. And this blog, well, it’s not really supposed to be about the numbers, either, so much as the experiences surrounding the activities that I enjoy and how they become woven into life.

I’m sure numbers will stick around for a while, but I’m trying to keep them more on the periphery (aka: sidebar) these days.

Yesterday, I was outside for a few moments in the rain (a downpour, really.) I wasn’t wearing raingear (let alone gore-tex), just normal clothes – some wool, some cotton… and it was really quite nice to just hang out with the rain for a bit.