Stormgazing

I love the rain! I truly do! I don't know why everyone complains about it so. It's a beautiful thing to me. I can spend an entire afternoon watching rain drop off the eaves of a house, seen a puddle turn into a lake before my very eyes or chronicled the formation of a makeshift stream from the collected water of a rain gutter and would not consider it a wasted day. Oh sure, it can be cold and horribly miserable if one is caught in the middle of a field or a few blocks away from their house totally unaware and unprepared; it can drench you to the point where everything in your deepest pockets are soaked. People associate it with sadness and depression but I think they feel that way because they're conditioned to feel that way. Society tells us to be sad when it's a little gloomy outside and we've been taught to come in from the rain. But, there's a way around it. Do you know what it is? Can you not guess what the secret is? No worries. I'll tell you.

The secret...WATERPROOFING!

I know. Easier said than done. It's not like we all live in Seattle or wherever and are always walking around in the rain and/or we plan our days around the rain. More often than not, none of us, myself included, carry umbrellas or ponchos around especially in the spring months. (Not that the Marine inside would ever allow us to carry an umbrella.) Still, if you see a storm on the horizon, take a minute and treat it the way you would treat a sunny day. On sunny days, people get a lot of activities done but sometimes that activity is to simply just soak up some sun.

Do that for rain!

One day, if the storm is just right, put on a comfy pair of wool socks and rain boots and don your poncho. Grab your kids or your dogs, if you have any, dress them in similar fashion and make it your mission for the day to find the biggest puddles and make the biggest splashes. I guarantee you'll feel just as good on the way home as you would coming back from the beach when you were trying to work on your tan. 

The rain does not equal sadness. It can be a source of great excitement especially if you hear thunder and see lightning and you're in the middle of a field or on a beach and you have to run for your life! Regardless of where you are, and if you have the proper gear and the inclination to do so, the rain should never make you gloomy. Hell! If you're like me, it can be the one thing that really brightens your day. If you're reading this, try it. I challenge you. Who knows? You may come away feeling right as rain.