Today was the first day of rain this season here in Israel. Although we’ve had some occasional drops here and there in the past few weeks, the first real rain came this night. Somehow, all my kids managed to hear the rain at 2 AM and by the time they were up at 7, running through the puddles was the first thing on their minds.
Even after rearing sabras for a decade and a half, I am still amazed by their excitement whenever the rain season arrives. I can’t think of anything I could offer them, short of a surprise visit to the zoo or a family trip to some exotic location that would bring on the kinds of smiles that lit their faces as they frantically searched for rubber boots and last year’s coats.
What is it in the rain that makes them so happy? Although Israelis are obsessed with rainfall and following the water level of the Kineret (the Sea of Galilee – Israel’s main water reserve) has become a national pastime, I doubt that the kids’ excitement was fed by anxiousness over water shortages or the looming hike in water prices.