One can find so many pains when the rain is falling. –John Steinbeck.
Rain, rain go away…, oh, forget it. We’re past the point of cute nursery rhymes, the rain has gone on long enough, the puddles are turning into ponds and I’m going to come clean–I HATE the rain! I’ve always hated the rain.
For years, I feigned interest when people talked about rain. In Kansas, it seems that we never have enough rain and the topic comes up ALOT. People love to talk about the weather here…it’s a conversation staple. Don’t get me wrong…I am a big-time weather nerd, but the rain just doesn’t float my boat. At all. I can’t stand it when it’s gray and cloudy and I especially don’t like it when this type of weather goes on for days. This spring has been especially rainy and I’m so over it. In some ways it’s gone from annoying to spirit draining. I’m done.
I thought about writing a blog titled “5 things to do in the rain,” or maybe “5 things NOT to do on a rainy day, or “5 ways not to go INSANE when it won’t stop raining,” but…I just don’t care. This is what the rain does to me. It puts me in this pensive mood. It takes me to a place where time feels like it’s standing still…clocks no longer matter. The rain brings back memories (both good and bad.) It keeps me in this sleepy sort of daydream like mood. I feel like eating chocolate (and I’m not a huge chocolate kind of girl.) I have no energy. And the worst part is that I just don’t know what to do with myself. I should clean the house, I should catch up on work, I should start a project, I should bake something, I should read a book…but I can’t. As I write this I can imagine family and friends reaching for their phones…thinking that they should call and check on me. I’m fine. The truth is, I just hate the rain.
SpongeBob Uno…Jellyfish wild, anyone?
It’s funny to think that the rain could affect me so much. Especially since I LOVE thunderstorms! Crashes of lightening, booming thunder, and hail–oh, I’m a big fan. It’s exciting and BRIEF compared to our recent bout of never-ending showers. Several people have been complaining about how the rain is forcing them indoors and cancelling all their social plans. This makes me laugh because these are things that don’t bother me in the least. I’m not an outdoors person (too many bugs) and I’m perfectly happy keeping myself company (a self-proclaimed introvert.) Others have seized the opportunity to use these rainy days for family bonding and togetherness. This is all well and good, but there’s only so many games of Uno one can play in an afternoon (BTW that number is 37.)
Spencer family swamp. May 2015
Basically I am in survival mode trying to busy myself with anything that will distract me from staring out the window. This is where Facebook is an absolute godsend! I so enjoy all the posts about the rain…the worried, the productive, the thoughtful and especially the FUNNY takes on the weather! It’s rainy days like these where Pinterest is a lifesaver as I pin all the projects I will NEVER get to. Thank you, Instagram…#hashtag everything. Fellow blog writers…I appreciate all your genius insights into every subject under the sun (oh, yes, the glorious SUN!) Right now, you’re all keeping me sane AND awake! And finally, HGTV…where would I be without YOU? This sounds like an Academy Awards speech for keeping my head above water, but it’s so very true.
Right now all is quiet and it’s not even 9pm. The kids have retreated to their own corners of the house…binging on Minecraft and streaming TV shows. My husband is at the computer working. And the rain–well, it’s NOT stopping. When I pray tonight, I’ll be sure to thank God that I don’t live in the Pacific Northwest (as their rainy climate would absolutely kill me.) Along with this constant drip, I hear only one song playing over and over in my head…and it makes me smile.
Pour your misery down….
hymningandhaing 