What is it about gloomy, rainy, chilly days that make me feel so happy? Maybe, it's the cozy nature of it that makes you feel more inclined to slow down, to wrap up in something soft, and be softness in itself. Maybe it's how the darkness brings out the rich warmness of the leaves, the sharp smell of them mixing with the rain and dirt and clinging to your hair like perfume that's been carefully combed through it. Or maybe it's how fresh the wind feels, damp like the ocean when it's pregnant with rain, when it's clothed in fog and smells of salt and moss. Or maybe it's just that some days, we need gloom to feel the sun more keenly.
~ The Wandering Rose Child ~
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Pitter, patter, goes the rain on the window and rooftop. I look outside and what do I see, but rain falling steadily from the sky. My heart leaps and my spirit soars at the sight before my eyes. Ah, yes. Rain. My peace, my calm, my restoration, my refuge, my dear, dear comfort.
When most people see a rainy day in the forecast, they moan and groan and complain. When most people describe a rainy day, they use words such as miserable, ghastly, nasty or dreadful. For many, rainy days are nothing but a bother and they see them with nothing but negativity. The dreariness, the grey skies and cloudiness, the actual rain itself...loads of people hate these things.
But not me. Not at all.
I'm what you would call a pluviophile, someone who loves the rain and finds peace of mind and joy on rainy days. That describes me perfectly. I remember several years ago, when I was visiting Ireland, everyone we met at the B&B or village inn we stayed at, people in the shops, pubs, anywhere, everyone was saying how miserable the weather was. And yes, it did rain on and off our whole two week stay (more on than off)...both times we went, but I just kept thinking how much it suited me, how much I quite enjoyed it, and how much I genuinely loved it. On a trip we took to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania several years ago, during a cool, crisp October, it rained the whole time we were there. I kept thinking how I never saw something as beautiful as those rolling green fields glistening with raindrops. They were literally sparkling and looked like glitter! Just a couple weeks ago, it rained nonstop here for about five days straight, and to me, it was absolute bliss. I woke up to the sound of rain and I went to sleep with the rainfall as my lullaby. It was perfection!
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Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the Earth; without rain there would be no life.
~ John Updike ~
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I love the rain, nearly everything about it. The one thing I do not like about the rain, I will readily admit, is driving in the rain or knowing my dear ones are on the road when it's raining. That is very nerve-wracking to me and sends my anxiety into overdrive. Other than that one thing, I simply adore the rain.
I'm a true autumn and winter girl, through and through. Those seasons and months of the year are my favorite. They are when I feel most like me, when I feel most alive. I love cold weather, bundling up, layering my clothing, curling up on the couch with a warm blanket or cuddling up in bed under a thick comforter. I love the warming and comforting meals that this time of year brings. I love going outside for a walk with a coat and scarf and hat on. I love breathing in that clean, crisp air and seeing my breath when I exhale. I love coming in with a rosy nose and sipping hot chocolate as the warmth of the mug goes through to my bones. I love rainy days and nights as well as snowy ones. I would much rather have grey skies than bright sunny skies. The bright sunshine and warm to hot temps aren't just things I genuinely detest, but they also genuinely make me feel ill. I get the worst headaches and nausea from being in the heat or intense sunlight for longer than just a bit. Rainy days suit me for so many reasons.
As for rainy days, I love the quietness they bring to the earth. Oftentimes for a highly sensitive introvert, like myself, the world feels so loud and overwhelming. To be honest, I quite enjoyed the pandemic years, not for all the tension and heaviness it brought, but because the world felt so much quieter then. I often long for that sort of peace and quiet again. Rain brings not only quiet and peacefulness, it also slows things down. I think rain is one of Mother Nature's ways of teaching us the importance of slowing down and not being in such a rush. They remind me that I can take my time...I can be more mindful and conscious of what I'm doing. I don't need to rush or try to beat the clock. Things often get done better when we slow down, as we make less mistakes and have fewer accidents. Rainy days also fill me with wonder and gratitude. Rain is something that may seem quite ordinary, but just think...tiny droplets of water falling from the sky sustaining life on earth below. How wonder-full is that?!?!
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Rain restores serenity to our daily endeavours because it slows us down, or it should.
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach ~
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Rain teaches lessons in gentleness as well, and often invites me to be kind to myself. Not only in slowing down physically, but also mentally. I am reminded to take a few deep breaths and take a breather for a few moments. Rain invites a sense of calm to wash over me, too. I often light candles and turn on an extra softly lit lamp on rainy days. We avoid big, bright overhead lighting as much as possible. While rain nourishes the earth, it also nourishes my soul in these ways, but it also reminds me to nourish my body. I am always inspired to cook a simmering sort of dinner on a rainy day, and this is often a nutritious soup of some sort. Just the kind of meal that warms from the inside out, and is healthy, too.
Rain makes me grateful for my warm home and those I share it with. Rain, for me, is something I love. And it stirs up so much deep within me. It's never just a rainy day to me. It's a day that literally fills me up in every way imaginable and feels so comforting. I never look outside at a rainy view and think how miserable or nasty or terrible it is...quite the opposite. I see a beautiful day, my favorite kind of weather, a day of "what can I do today" possibilities. Because oddly enough, not only does rain bring peace and calm and quiet, but it also inspires and motivates me like no other sort of weather...except for snow, of course. (Snow is equal to rain in my heart.) It is on those kinds of dreary, grey, cold, crisp, wet days that I find all sorts of inspiration and am motivated for both creativity and ordinary, everyday tasks and chores.
Being the total homebody I am, rainy days are practically Mother Nature's way of smiling at me and giving me a reason to just be at home doing what I love. There's nothing I love more than days at home just puttering around getting little projects and tasks done as I want, no rush or hurry, cooking meals for my family and baking something delicious to enjoy in the evening. Settling down with a movie at night with a cup of something warm and then reading a really good book before falling asleep. Rainy days are meant for homebodies. {{smiles}}
Maybe you've read all of this and think I'm nuts. Or maybe you feel like you've finally found someone who "gets" rainy days and nights like you do. We don't all enjoy the same weather or temperatures and that's okay. But I do think that people who love what isn't most popular, such as autumn and winter, cold temps, bundling up in layers, rain and snow, grey skies, moody weather, etc. shouldn't have to apologize for it. Nor should we have to preface our saying how much we love those things with statement such as, "Summer is nice, too" or "I'm not wishing for summer to be over." Goodness knows that summer loving folks sure aren't prefacing their declarations of love for hot weather and sunshine with "Winter is nice, too" or "I'm not wishing winter away". It's so ridiculous how much they get offended by those of us who just really plain don't like summer and hot weather and sunshine. For those of us who prefer the exact opposite of those things, we should be able to truly and genuinely love and appreciate and celebrate and enjoy our favorite seasons and weather and all that goes along with that without all the naysayers bringing us down.
To all my fellow pluviophiles, may a rainy day be yours soon and may you bask in the peace and calm it brings. May your cup be filled with something warming and comforting and may you be clothed in coziness through and through. May the sound of rain trickling on the windows and pitter-pattering on the roof be your bedtime lullaby. And may you feel the delight and utter joy of jumping in a puddle or two.
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Rediscovering the splendour of rain through your senses is a wonderful way to make an attitude adjustment. Watching a storm from a couch, window seat, or bed, especially as it grows dark, can be thrilling. Looking through the prism of raindrops when the sun is shining induces smiles as wonderous as the arc of red, orange, and indigo in the sky. Cracking the window so that you can hear rain's melody- patters on a windowpane, drips through leaves, drizzle down drainpipes- is so soothing, the sounds are prescribed for insomniacs; and falling asleep to rain pelting the roof is sublime, especially in the middle of the afternoon. When you get caught in a rainstorm, do you just get wet, or do you allow yourself to feel the rain upon your skin? Breathe in the fragrance of rain before you shut the door behind you. Rain smells different on pavement or in the garden than it does on your woolen sleeve. A spring rain smells fresh and earthy; the fragrance of a summer shower is spicy, like incense. One of the most sensory delights is coming into the house drenched to the bone, stripping your clothes off, jumping into a hot shower, then toweling off and dressing in warm pajamas and comfy slippers. The memory of it sends shivers of bliss up my spine.
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach ~
(This whole passage above speaks the exact words of my heart for rain. I wholeheartedly agree with each of her sentiments and echo a whisper of "ah, yes" to each one.)