Nicola AndersonYes, I do look like a drowned rat when I forget my umbrella on a rainy day — sad, wet, and unimpressed. But that doesn’t stop me from loving rainy days. We’ve had no shortage of rainy days in Edmonton over the spring and summer. While some groan at waking up to clouds and rain, I’ll happily throw on my rain jacket and enjoy the rainy weather.
Part of my love of rain comes from nostalgia. Who didn’t love jumping in puddles? I remember spending so much time crafting boats out of plastic — or foolishly cardboard and paper — to go set them to sail on a puddle. While I don’t indulge in those activities now, it still brings a smile to my face to see little kids in their raincoats doing the same.
And it’s not just kids who like their puddles, it’s also geese. I know Canadians have a love-hate relationship with geese, but happy geese probably aren’t going to attack you. And rain makes geese happy. Without rainy days, there’d be less puddles or full ponds for geese to sit on and pretend they’re on a beautiful lake.
Away from the great outdoors, rainy days are the perfect time to do some baking. Hot summer days usually drive me away from using my oven. My apartment gets hot enough without the added heat. Without rainy days, I would be without homemade cookies and muffins. That’s a tragedy no one should ever have to experience.
But beyond the simple pleasures, rain shouldn’t be taken for granted when we are facing more dry and hot summers. Instead of everything being brown and sad looking, rain keeps the trees and grass green. And it can help get wildfires under control, as opposed to hot and windy days that only help wildfires burn.
Rainy days make so much of life a little better. So looking a little sad and wet if I forget my umbrella is a small price I’ll happily pay.
