On Wednesday afternoon, the clouds suddenly turned a murky gray and the air became humid, forecasting rain. Sure enough, a few droplets soon fell from the sky as students looked up eagerly, anticipating more.

Then, the rain stopped. Less than thirty minutes of drizzle.

This is the fourth consecutive year of California’s severe drought, with its highest average temperature in 120 years and numerous recurring wildfires. Lake levels are down to around fifty percent of their original height. Recently, Californians have responded with drastic measures to conserve water, reducing their average water consumption by over 31 percent in July, exceeding Governor Brown’s goal of percent.

We rarely take time to stop and appreciate the little things that nature gives us, like water. Only when a drought becomes so severe that lakes are threatening to dry up do we truly start to understand the important role that nature plays in our daily lives. Only when the Governor declares California in a state of emergency do we start to take action.

Despite the relatively short duration of rain, many students took the time to appreciate it even in its small quantity, as the rain that day was a good premonition of more to come.

“I thought it was very pleasing,” Jonathan Hochberg (12) said. “I, for one, very much enjoy rain, and I understand that it’s beginning to alleviate the drought.”

Students and teachers alike recognize the importance of conserving water because of its shortage and many have taken unique approaches to save water.

“Three years ago, I made a deal with my advisory,” Spanish teacher Isabel Garcia said. “We would time ourselves in the shower and put a watch or a stopwatch outside to time ourselves. Five minutes for boys and people with short hair, and ten minutes for the girls. I still do it now.”

Due to the drought, both students and teachers are also learning to appreciate water more.

“It’s good to appreciate nature while we can,” Garcia said. “Now because of the drought, we see a cloud and feel a few drops from the sky and everybody’s so happy and thankful about it. In a few years we might be desperately lacking something something else, so we should learn to enjoy everything we have right now.”

Rain is such a precious commodity right now, and we need to cherish it more than ever because of the drought. The old proverb that says to “learn to stop and smell the roses” has never been more true. We should all take some time to smell the roses — before they dry up. The next time it rains, treasure the moment, for it may be a long time before it rains again.