Grey

There is an inexplicable contentment one can derive from the sight of the falling rain and frothy waves beating against the shore. My thoughts are serene and the perpetual churning inside of me is a peaceful simmer now.

I am in Raa Atoll for work and I'm delirious about being free of the draining clutches of Malé City. Even if it is for a little while. Time and time again, whenever I am able to breathe in fresh air and not the thick fog of pollution, disease and despair Malé is immersed in, I reprimand myself for not taking more time away from the city.

It is raining here, delicious thick blobs of raindrops keep pelting against my skin, making me want to curl up inside bed covers and sleep for hours on end. There is so much greenery around me that I feel every string of my brain relax from the tightness they usually are wound up in. Every nerve in my body breathes gratefully for the open air and the occasional wisps of wind it accompanies.

We don’t talk about this enough. We don’t talk about the exhilaration we feel when strolling along the shoreline under a grey sky, thick with clouds impregnated by the oncoming bout of rain. We don't talk about how the air feels against our body or when it is coursing through our lungs, opening up the forgotten crevices of our chest.

I am alone on the beach, this plump stretch of white sand that encircles the island. My feet sink into the wet sand as I walk alone, content in my solitude. Where else in the world can I enjoy this feeling of complete and utter freedom? I belong here. Not in a city that drains the will to live from every pore on my skin. I deserve sand beneath my feet and a grey sky above me.

I deserve this.