Rainy nights…

Weather wears on people. I’ve lived in New England for 27 years, but I am still an Oregon girl at heart.
When the sky turns gray and threatening, the temperature hovers at 40 degrees, and the rain rolls down the window pane, I am in my element. Rainy days take the hard edges off. They soften the sky, the trees, the road and push us inside. My favorite days are those spent inside with the wind and rain swirling beyond the window.
In New England, we deal with severe weather. Thunder and lightning storms that threaten life and limb, blizzards that shut down travel and commerce for days, frigid cold and life-threatening heat. The weather here is kind of a big deal. It makes us edgy. I’ve seen my hardy husband brave the roads with ice and snow, in frigid temperatures, and in frightening conditions. When it rains here, he reacts like it’s a disaster. Days without the sun make him downright gloomy.
Snow makes me feel trapped, claustrophobic, and sometimes desperate to get out. Frigid cold brings anxiety and true fear, and I will avoid travel when I can. I am certain my car will stall and I’ll be stranded with no heat. It’s a real thing when it’s actually forty below. Too much sun wears me out… it’s demanding. You have to be happy, celebrate, relax by the pool. But, I don’t have a pool and it’s hard to read when the sun is blaring down on you. Crisp fall days and glorious spring days are good but fleeting. I really like the rain.
I relish these days and draw inward to words and people and away from the wider world. There is almost nothing I enjoy more than pulling into my driveway, and finding my cheerful house lit from within, to welcome me in from the gloomy night. It makes me feel safe, protected, and secure. It’s like the world is wrapped up in a warm blanket. Rain demands nothing from me. It simply lets me be. So, bring on the rain.
 
This is number 29 of a 31 day writing challenge. Please click here to follow the rest of the series. Thank you for joining me on this journey!