Rain, rain go away ...

Okay, so it seems like my last blog was about rain but it really wasn't. It was about yard work. And after spending 4 hours at my Uncle Bob's house digging up his soil, pulling up weeds and planting flowers and potatoes, it's too tiring to even talk about. Today's blog is about rain.

For some reason, people seem to have a hate on for rain. My facebook friends are always complaining about it, especially when it slows down their commute in Toronto. In actuality, it's not the rain that causes the problem. It's the guy who drives too cautiously, or the lady who passes the slow driver too quickly, or the driver who's blinded by the SUV that just flooded his windshield, or the person who's on their cell phone (oh no, you'd never do that, it's illegal) calling their boss to say he'll be late because of traffic.

My babies, stuck inside for the day.

Other rain issues -- you can't send your children outside to play (ok, that's probably showing my age), your dog is all muddy, the gray skies are getting you down, it gives you a headache, your hair is impossible -- always seem to dominate. But there's something about the sound of a gentle rain, the smell of a world that seems refreshed and renewed, the scent of worms flooded out of the ground (I swear, I can smell them) and the saturated look of the grass and garden after a rainfall, that make you feel truly alive.

Musicians seem to have differing opinions as well. Who can forget (and if you've never seen it, it's on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ) Gene Kelly singing in the rain? "I'm Only Happy When It Rains", "Love the Rainy Night", "I Wish It Would Rain", "Red Rain", "Rhythm of the Rain", "Laughter in the Rain" and, we can't forget, "Purple Rain" were all odes to the occasional downpour. On the more depressing side, there was "Fire and Rain", "Rainy Days and Mondays", "No Rain", "Who'll Stop the Rain", "Here Comes the Rain Again" and "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again".  There's also "It Never Rains in California" but it seems kind of ambivalent about rain -- I think it's more of a criticism of weather forecasters. My point is, something about rain brings out creativity in the artist -- maybe because they're stuck inside with nothing to do.

Rain is also the sign that something's going to happen in almost every horror movie or suspense thriller. Maybe it's the ominous sound of thunder or the fact that the sky gets dark that makes it the ideal mood-setter for the big kill. Generally, it's accompanied by the power going out, phones going dead and a guy with a big knife and maybe a hockey mask. 

The reality is, life without rain is a bleak thing. Just ask the people in Africa who consider it liquid gold. And lately, some places have found that life with too much rain is also a devastating reality. The world seems to be going through a phase of extreme weather right now where there are no moderates -- only too much weather or too much seismic activity. It makes the precipitation in Canada seem like a cheery thing.

So, next time you're stuck in traffic watching your windshield wipers clear the view of the taillights in front of you, remember this quote from Longfellow:

Be still sad heart and cease repining;
Behind the clouds the sun is shining,
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life a little rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

It's May and the flowers are blooming!