Today, I am thankful for the showers that spring brings.
In a little more than a week, the season of rebirth will be upon us. With this new season, rain showers will abound, ultimately culminating in the fresh sprouts of crocuses, daffodils, and other lovely perennials. As a species, we seem to have a love-hate relationship with water falling from the sky.
Many of us will blissfully gaze out our window on a rainy day and express gratitude for the fortunate chance to sit lazily by a fire and read an interesting book. Others might stare out the same window and complain bitterly about the inevitable traffic delay that will ensue or the unfortunate cancellation of a pre-planned picnic. Others verbally curse the rain, as it might call attention to the yet-to-be-fixed leak in the roof or the muddy mess the dog drags into your home. Others will praise the rain for the ensuing growth of their tomatoes in their newly-planted vegetable garden, or the extinguishing effect it has on forest fires in California or Australia.
Then, there’s the less chosen option. Throughout history, some have used a rainy day to change the world. In 1816, two renowned poets, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron, had gathered on Lake Geneva for a relaxing Swiss vacation. However, the weather failed to cooperate. Rain, thunder, and lightning kept the 2 poets and their entourages trapped in Byron’s rented villa for three straight days. They tried to make the best of it – reading poetry aloud, partaking in home-cooked meals, and debating various topics into the long, candle-lit nights. Bored and frustrated, Lord Byron issued them all a challenge: write a scary story to spotlights the dark experience with the morbid weather. Lord Byron came up with Vampyre, the first written account of a blood-sucking man. His novella was published a few years later. However, the real winner was Percy Shelley’s 19-year-old partner, Mary, who told the story of a machine created by a mad scientist that magically transforms into a man. Her story, Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, was published a few years later. Her fictional tale would captivate the world and turn literature on its head.
So, the next time you are stuck indoors on a cold, rainy day, make the most of it. Even if you don’t have the means to compose the next great novel, do something fun that passes the time, like read the newspaper, watch Netflix, or listen to music.
And, if all that doesn’t work, then take the metaphor for rain and just share some time with the ones you adore. The American folk singer James Taylor, who incidentally was born on this day (Mar 12) in 1948, noted that sometimes the best you can do is just that:
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