In this Summer heat a burst of rain is welcome in the garden. For plants it is an opportunity for soaking in some sustenance, for gardeners it is often a moment’s respite from the task at hand. However, it can be more than that. Mindful gardeners see a shower as a refreshing, quite visceral experience to be savoured. After the effort of bending, stretching and grasping, rainbursts instantly cool the body. You will also certainly notice a split-second’s question ‘should I dash inside?’. I defy you to stay in the rain and experience it mindfully.

Notice the change in your body, your arm-hairs standing up, the cooling of your skin. Feel the rain finding channels in which to run down your face. Your clothes may stick to your skin. Notice how you have paused your work to experience the rain, or maybe you have continued with an added zeal. Look around at the effects of the rain in the garden as the shower passes: have the birds started up in song? Can you smell the magical petrichor in the air? Summer showers are a happy interlude to be savoured: become a mindful pluviophile.