Listen to the rhythm of the rain that’s a-fallin’…
Here comes the rain again…
I love a rainy night.
Apparently, songwriters everywhere love Stormy Weather. I’m no exception. When the sky is overcast and gray in the morning, or when lightning shoots over the neighborhood at night, a voice inside me says, “Yay!”
A gloomy day makes me contemplative, while a full-on lightning storm makes me want to dance around the house. Often, I just end up staring out a window in awe, humbled by the tangle of destruction and renewal offered up by Mother Nature as a reminder of my relatively teensy spot on the planet.
If the rain hasn’t actually started yet I love to walk around outside, feeling the electricity of the impending storm and, in the Summer, the warm, wet wind that almost makes me believe I’m near a beach despite being landlocked in Atlanta.
Once inside, there’s nothing better than a cup of tea or coffee and a book (either to read or write in) and then, inevitably, a nap.
Why are so many songs are written about rain? Maybe because, if the weather is bad enough, we have an excuse to call the whole day a wash (ha) and do something we don’t usually give ourselves permission to indulge in. Rain is a great excuse to relax and gaze internally instead of focusing on all of the hustle and bustle of a regular day. When we slow down and focus on ourselves, some of the words that have wanted to spill out may start to trickle down to the page, finally.
Whether we love it or hate it, are saddened by it or made joyful, the rain tends to inspire. How many songs can you think of that mention rain in the title alone? I can think of a dozen easily. I’m sure there are hundreds if not a thousand.
Next time you find yourself completely depleted and in need of some time to get back in touch with yourself and your writing, look to the sky. If there are clouds on the horizon that would make a sailor tremble, call in for that mental health day, prepare a mugful, and take it easy.
Blame it on the rain.