Rainy weather:
Plop. Plop. Plop, plop. Delicate droplets make their way to the brick ridges that line your home, to the edges of the window just next to you as you sit inside. They trickle down to the ground, creating small puddles just outside, the droplets forming a community of their own while you sit, dry and warm, just inside. Warm mug of tea in hand, the steam flowing out the top to waft in your direction, giving hints of fruit and earth. You close your eyes and take a deep breath, your lungs filling with the scents just ahead of you. Warm orange hues from the lamps inside light up the otherwise dark storm looming just outside.
Rainy weather slows life down. Not in a bad way at all. Cautious steps outside to avoid slipping in puddles. A second thought at going outside — “do I really need to go to the store?” You can make do with what you have right now — unless you need deodorant or probably something else important. Bring your boots. A rainy day slows down the go-go-go attitude we have collectively. It can make you want to stay inside, listen to the rain patter on as you watch an old favorite flick. You can softly play music, recorded or of your own production. You can paint a little. Staying in and slowing down helps you to rediscover the hobbies you have when you’re not encouraged to constantly be “productive.”
However, on second thought, you could still go outside. Dance in the rain. Feel the rain splash along the creases of your smile as you spin round and round. The rolling thunder can feel scary, at times, as it booms across the sky, but it can also provide a sense of comfort, like a sky blanket. Also, free shower, anyone, perhaps? The rain is a crucial part of nourishing our environment and ourselves. The somberness of the grey clouds slows us down to reflect on what we can do for ourselves.
The rain in Minnesota is soft. It is delicate to the touch. The last time it rained since I received this article was Halloween. It wasn’t dreadful to go outside in the soft drizzle — it was a comfort that other weather may miss.
But I bet the sunny weather writer is super duper cool and based on their opinion.
Sunny weather:
Rays beam on your cheeks, reigniting your freckles that began to fade with the coming fall. The warmth travels inward, with a growing sense of happiness. The sunrays stream through the spaces between the leaves, finding every path to make their way to you. It lights up the prairie and allows shadows to form behind the mountains. You hold your hand to take hold of some of the rays, to hold them a bit longer. The rays never seem to stay long enough.
Sunshine can be the push to get you out of bed in the morning. When the sun rises, and the rays surround your eyelids, they wake you up gently, to let you know the day is ready for you. How wonderful! The possibilities for the day are endless — a picnic, laying outstretched along the thin blanket, a barrier from the plush grass in the local park; a walk in the neighborhood, accompanied with some brief hopscotch jumping from the neighbor’s children’s art along the sidewalk; a good tree, climbing up along the wedges and resting up against the thick branch to finish the book you began a month ago. There are possibilities that other weather may not allow.
Nov. 14 was unnaturally sunny. It has been getting colder, and the sky has become grayer. But that Friday, the temperature was in the low 60s, the sunrays were back once again; it was a day with possibilities. Possibilities like a picnic, a walk, or a nearby tree. That day gave a push that the sunny weather loves to give at the beginning of the day.
Sunny weather gives opportunities that other weather may not. It gives the potential for an easy drive along the highway. It doesn’t give the scare that you might get on a drive back to campus, sliding across frozen rain and crashing your boyfriend’s car — sorry Kasp. Sunny weather doesn’t do that. Sunny weather is very fine and easy to drive in.
