On rainy days, one of my favorite things to do is to go outside after the gray clouds have dispersed, and the only rain left is the water droplets dripping off buildings and splashing onto the ground. The air smells fresher and cleaner, and the scent of wet pavement overtakes the smell of grass and dirt. Rain never lasts forever, but I wish the smell of the rain would.
I actually hate the rain. Rain itself is one of my least favorite things on the planet. I hate the gloomy skies and the way you always seem to be outside when it starts pouring. I hate wet socks and wet shoes, and I would rather not get my hair wet in the middle of the day. However, I love the smell rain leaves behind, as do many other people. The remnants of rain smells clean, like a load of fresh laundry or a less overwhelming Bath and Body Works soap. It’s like walking outside into a new environment to experience a whole new smell that surrounds your body like a gentle hug.
The smell of rain is never violent. Rain can come in the form of flash floods or thunderstorms, and has the ability to down power lines and damage property. It is scary at times, and usually inconvenient. I acknowledge the necessity for rain, to keep nature growing and flourishing, and to provide sources for drinking that animals and humans take advantage of. However, it always feels like it chooses to come at the worst times, like during a soccer game or on a day you’ve been planning to go to the pool. Rain itself is annoying, however humans have a weird obsession with what it leaves behind. Walking outside after a rainstorm you will hear people saying, “Oh, the air smells so fresh” or “I love the smell of rain on the pavement”. The smell of rain has never made someone wish they were curled inside with a book to avoid being drenched. Instead, it makes us more appreciative of what it can bring to our tiny corner of the world.
There’s even a scientific term for the smell of rain. “Petrichor” was coined in 1964 to describe the smell of rain on dry soil. This petrichor smell is produced by a dirt-dwelling bacteria called geosmin. Us humans are especially sensitive to the smell of geosmin, which is why the smell of fresh rain can be so powerful. This then releases serotonin in the brain, causing mood improvements and happiness to wash over you. The ability of something so simple as rain to trigger serotonin in our bodies is something I am forced to appreciate, even if I do not like being drenched by the rain itself.
I always look forward to walking outside after the rain has long gone, and still being able to smell the fresh earth or wet pavement. It changes the way I think about the rain storms I claim to hate so much. While not the most pleasant, those storms allow me to experience the unique scent of petrichor later on.
The smell of rain is always like a little glimmer of a rainbow after the gray skies open up to blue, and for that I give it 5 stars.