The gray skies hover about, crowding the skies above me. It’s not that I don’t like rain, or the chance of rain… because sometimes rain is good and needed. It’s just that I’ve noticed lately that it keeps following me around. There’s no symbolism here, so put that out of your mind. I’m as happy as a jaybird on a sunny day, but when the clouds start rolling in, I get annoyed. The thing is, I like the sunshine. People are happy when it’s sunny. They smile more, laugh heartier, and do activities that encourage friendships… like going to sporting events or picnics.
When I was living in Hawaii the first time, it was sunny all day until around 4 pm. It was great! Then, right on time, it would shower for fifteen minutes and be gone. It was refreshing and made the flowers seem even more beautiful. But on my third trip living there, it was as if someone forgot to turn off the shower. Days on end it would rain without mercy. My bones began to ache, my head throbbed and I sat at the window like the kids in The Cat in the Hat, just waiting for it to end. I did not get depressed, but I must admit I was a bit grumpy. There’d be no hiking, paddle boarding or golf that day!
I often wonder what people see in the rain in places like Oregon and Washington. Oh, I get that the forests are gorgeous and the rivers and lakes are always full, but to have a black cloud looming overhead most of the day would get old. I imagine hiking and playing in those lovely rivers and lakes on a sunny day must be like heaven… but oh, the rain!! I’d be as fat as a cow if I lived where it rained all day. I’d feel like I needed to bake. Oh no, that would be disastrous!
Its the first day of summer and I must admit, I awoke aching and annoyed! How could it possibly rain on the first day of summer, for Pete sakes? This morning was the third straight day of rain in my Southeast corner of Virginia. Hasn’t someone told the big guy up there that it’s summer?? I slipped on my flip flops and reminded myself that I would have to change shoes if I was to go out later. What a way to start the day… and then, as I fiddled in the kitchen and stretched out my aching bones, a ray of sun slipped through a cloud. It danced upon my face for just a moment before is hid behind a light gray cloud moving across the sky. I smiled. Could it be that sunshine was in my future?
You betcha!… Suddenly I’m as happy as a frog on a log singing his favorite song! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and even my favorite squirrel is out collecting nuts. No time for writing now, the sun is calling my name and I’m out the door. Isn’t it great when the rain disappears? Gotta love rainbows!
