It was a hot summer afternoon. The sun was blaring in its full brightness. Nothing was helping to soothe the heat. Even the water from the tap was boiling, so you can imagine how hot a day it was.

I was sitting by the window, biting on some ice-cubes to cool myself and praying to the Gods for some rain to relieve us of this heat. Just then, as in response to my prayers, suddenly the sky was covered with dark grey clouds. Within minutes, the day turned dull and soon I could see huge droplets of water pouring from the heavens above.

It wasn’t the rainy season, so it came as a surprise, but the most pleasant one, to all of us. But it wasn’t just water droplets that poured, along came the hailstorm. We could see it hitting the roads and the cars parked on it. Little kids rushed to their balconies with mugs to collect these chunks of ice. The excitement on their faces was priceless. They would collect some and put it in their mouths. It was such an amazing sight.

Soon the hailstorm stopped but the rain continued. We all rushed outdoors to welcome it with open arms. Soon the roads were full of people dancing in the rain and enjoying the relief from the heat it offered. The rain Gods seem to be enjoying the sight and let the rain continue for another few hours.

Slowly people started heading back to their homes to dry themselves and indulge in some hot and delicious snacks accompanied by tea. I got back to my home as well, and after changing to some dried cloths, I again went and sat at my favourite spot near the window, admiring the rain and how all the trees, that looked dead by the blazing heat of the sun, now seemed so lush green and full of life in the rain.

Finally, it stopped raining, but the clouds still lured over, preventing the Sun from shining, the rest of the day.

This rainy day, in middle of the summer season, made me contemplate how much a break from a routine is appreciated. Do we enjoy rain so much during the rainy season as much as we enjoyed it in middle of the summer season?

Getting ready to go to school and then suddenly getting to know that school is closed for some particular reason made us feel like the happiest person in the world when we were little, summer and winter breaks compared nothing in front of these surprise holidays.

A surprise visit by a loved one, a surprise gift from someone unexpected, an unexpected promotion at the workplace, finding two toffees inside a single wrapper, a short trip to someplace beautiful, having your favourite dish once in a while, aren’t these the most beautiful and cherished memories? Would it be as pleasant if it happens every day? Would partying with friends be as much fun if done every single day? We all know the answer.

A break from the routine is always welcomed as it refreshes us and provides us the strength to go on with our life. It’s just small bonus from life, a feel-good factor. It helps keep us motivated and helps us to appreciate life.

For that matter, every type of surprises are important, be it the pleasant or the unpleasant ones. Having the unpleasant ones makes us really appreciate the pleasant ones. Having the bad ones, makes us realise the worth of good. No surprise is worthless.

This reminds me of a quote by Boris Pasternak, which reads as