Immunity against certain sickness can be developed.

When I was young I used to catch cold quite often. However, the neighbours' children do not seem to catch cold just as often. Why? That was my observation and the question on the matter stuck as I certainly would not want to be a sickly person my whole life.

So I watched them. Even at the age of twelve, I have learned that observation reveals lots of truth and gives me greater understanding of things in and around me. Those children who hardly catch cold come from Indian families. I was living in Queen Street, Penang Island, at that time. There were a good number of Indian neighbours although most of the residents were Chinese.

Yes, I watched and from my observation I discovered that Chinese parents quickly covered up their little children with thick warm clothes whenever it rained. In fact the Chinese parents sent their children indoor at the first indication of rain. Not a drop of rain did Chinese children get.

However, that was not the case with Indian children. Even as the rain got heavier, I could still see them running around, sometimes stark naked, in the street getting thoroughly wet with the rain. Their parents did not seem to fear that the rain would chill their bones and lungs, and bring them cold and influenza.

Since that observation I had use every opportunity possible to walk, run and play in the rain. If there was nothing with me which could get spoiled by the rain, such as books and other articles that I could have been carrying, I would walk home in the rain. At such times, rain did not stop me from reaching home on time. And I noticed that i got stronger from the exposure to the rain and wind. (In an earlier post i had told about allowing my children to play in the rain at a very young age; young enough not to be conscious about sliding on the wet cement floor wearing just a pair of shorts in the compound of our house; in order to achieve this type of immunity against cold.)

Even nowadays, if I managed to get out of my house before the arrival of rain, I would be trekking Semarak Hill in the rain without raincoat or umbrella. There was one guy who went up that hill despite the rain and found me there without an umbrella.
"How come you did not bring along your umbrella?" he asked.
"It's alright. I enjoy it," I told him.
He was amused by the fact that a grown man could enjoy the cold wind and the rainwater flowing down the face and body. The next day, when I met him again, he commented,"Sorry, no rain to play with today."
There was one time I told another person, "This is the only place I can let go and enjoy the rain like a child without having people think I am a lunatic."

Well, this walking in the rain is good for my health, giving me an immunity to the cold. It is refreshing and fun, so it is also anti-aging. You feel young again. Yes, it's one of those rare times when you can let the child in you enthusiastically emerge from its social cage. (A few words of warning: For those not yet used to the wet and cold of the rain, do it in short periods first, and gradually, so that your body gets used to the rain.It takes time to develop immunity. There's no magic, I assure you.)I hope to enjoy the rain till the day I have to leave all of you.

I love the rain.

This morning I woke up to rain-drops pattering on my roof and the window panes. It must have been windy too. As usual I put on my track bottoms and T-shirt for my trek up the H- hill at Taman Semarak as I noticed that the rain was gradually slowing down.

By the time I reached the foothill there was just a drizzle. however, that was sufficient to discourage a good number of trekkers. As I went up I met a guy who would still go up even if it rains, sheltering himself with an umbrella. He is a young man, possibly in his early forties. The first time he saw me going up in the rain without a raincoat or an umbrella, he was amazed at my refusal to use an umbrella. Then, i told him that I love walking in the rain as i have always done in my childhood days. So, there are times he would chide me for having no rain to enjoy with whenever the sky is clear.

I love the rain as I have a body which heats up pretty easily, thus helping to bring on the sweat fast and furious. You know, there are advantages as well as disadvantages when it comes to having a heat-boiler which is too efficient. During my younger days, sweating easily during courting times can be embarrassing. Who would like to hug someone as sweaty and wet as I am. Well, only those who truly love me, of course! So, I can spot the pretenders anytime. Still it is a disadvantage even for a lovable creature like me. As for the advantages, I have to leave it for another time.

Right! Back to the rain. Another thing good about the rain is its washing away all the dirt on our roads and paths. Besides that as it pours down, it cleans the air of dust and floating particles that could be toxic. Thinking of toxic substances, its the chemical fumes and particles in the air which give us acid rain. With cleaner air, our lungs have a better chance to rid itself of stale and toxic substance that we inadvertently suck in as we breathe.

Thinking of acid rain, I remember reading about a time when there was no chemicals in the air to cause acid rain, when rain contains something good for the plants and us, a mild dose of hydrogen peroxide which helps gives plants and us more oxygen in the air we breathe. In fact, when i read that, how i wished I could stretch out my tongue to take in some drops of rain that is not acidic, that contains hydrogen peroxide. That is now just a wish.

With cleaner air and a cooler morning, the hill is certainly a more welcoming place to me and my friends. With such an atmosphere, we are also more relaxed and that is an excellent start to any day. So, it is not difficult to understand why i love the rain, pouring down on my body, cooling it, sweeping along with it all my tensions and whatever nagging thoughts that remain. Rain is indeed so refreshing to our body. It is one of the reasons God gave us rain.

Oh, yes! I almost forget that I have always gone into the rain for another reason. To this day I have hardly suffered from a cold. Even if a cold did come along, it was just for a couple of hours. With the coming of the sun, the cold disappears. Well, that's how it is with me. Thank God for that. I believe it is also because of the immunity that i have cultivated from being constantly exposed to the rain. It is with this understanding, that I got my children to play in the rain when they were at the age of three and four, possibly five. And they are just as immune against the rain to this day. (I have already written about them being allowed to play in the rain in a much earlier post.)