First Taste of Fall

The morning after a rain is one of my favorite times. It's like the world has cleansed itself, rinsed away the heat and dust of summer and put on a new shirt. Everything is relaxed, refreshed and ready for whatever comes next. Life is filtered through a fresh perspective on days like this; anything is possible and the world is new and shiny - nothing is quite as bright rain-soaked grass in the morning.
 
It's been a long, dry summer. We needed rain that never quite seemed to come - at least not like we needed it to. Summers like this remind us how connected we are to our environment; they remind us how fragile everything can be.
 
But then the rain comes, and reminds us how resilient we are; the summer was long, the rain short-lived, but it's enough to refresh us, to keep us going. And now, with this first, crisp taste, relief is in sight. As long, hot and dry as the summer days have been, very soon they will evaporate into the mists of cool Autumn air.