Rainy Days

I woke up to some much-needed rain this morning, and it made me happy. Back in March when we had endless days of rain, it seemed like everyone was grumpy and depressed. Rainy days have a mixed reputation. Merriam-Webster defines a rainy day as "a period of want or need." People are encouraged to set aside some of their money for a "rainy day fund." And there are some song lyrics about rainy days that are just plain depressing. On the flip side many of us are comforted by a rainy day. It's a good day to curl up with a good book. And there is delight in the knowledge that it brings much-needed sustenance to our plants. Following some of the intermittent storms of summer we are often treated to rainbows. My Dad used to refer to rainy nights as "good sleeping weather." There are songs, too, about "Singing in the Rain." For the photographer rain drops offer another area of photography. There is magic in being able to capture an image of a raindrop on the edge of a leaf or flower. But too much rain can become deadly when flooding occurs. When that happens it is a perfect example of "too much of a good thing." If you really think about it rain provides some wonderful life lessons. One of my favorite actors, Denzel Washington, observing this fact said, "You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. That's a part of it." Rain is both comforting and frightening. The lack of it is just as dangerous as too much of it. Rainy days and the preparation for them teach us that we need to prepare for and appreciate the good sunny days of life as well. Figuratively speaking, this year so far seems to have had far too many dark and gloomy days. We are yearning for calmer, brighter days again. I have no idea who Vivian Green is or was, but I think her words of wisdom are worth remembering right now. She said, ”Life’s not about waiting for the storm to pass…It’s about Learning To Dance In The Rain.”