it's raining, it's pouring

When I was a kid, I loved walking in the rain. And for a long time, my mother was horrified, absolutely convinced that a quick soak could lead to a cold, fever, the chills, and quite possibly death. I'm pretty sure she wasn't the only one. I have a vague memory of a thunderstorm in India one summer a long time ago and me running out the moment it started. My aunt practically had a conniption. Fortunately, my dad - who would have usually been the first one yelling at me to get back in the house - was also a bit of a contrarian. My aunt's disapproval had the entirely opposite effect of calming him down and suddenly convinced of the benefits of a drenching thunderstorm. I let them duke that one out on their own. But yes, in case you've been wondering, my family really is that crazy. Over the years, my mom learned to deal with my constant taunting of death and instead just focused on making sure I was warm enough before going out. Growing up in Oregon, where it drizzes 9 months out of the year, you can imagine it was a constant battle. I think she hoped that one day, I'd outgrow the whole thing. That it was all just my way of being a difficult child.

But if that's the case, then she's still waiting. Because I still love nothing more than a good storm. For more than a week now, they've been forecasting one here in the Bay Area. And here, its not like Oregon. We're lucky if we see a couple of good storms a year, and rarely one in Oct. So I've been waiting on the edge of my seat for this one. And finally, today it's here. And while a lot of people are complaining about how wet and terrible it is outside, I'm wishing we had more days like this. I love everything about it. The cool breeze before the rain starts, when you can almost smell the storm coming. Hearing the wind outside our window in the middle of the night. Waking up to the patter of raindrops.

Of all the things I miss about the Pacific Northwest, the weather tops my list. I get a lot of odd looks for saying that. And I know that a lot of people who actually live in the NW get bummed out during the gray months. It's true, maybe it does get a bit old. But I'd take that any day of the week to the 80-degree weather I had to endure in San Diego for the entire 3 years that I was there. In fact, these last few weeks here, when the weather's been crisp, the evenings cooler, the hint of fall in the air, is - to me - the best time of year. We never had that in SD.

And I have to admit, lately I've had a little case of the blah's. I've been struggling to find material for the blog, and with stuff in general. But not today. Today, I woke up alert and ready to go (only two snoozes this morning!). I didn't even need a cup of coffee to wake me up, though of course I had one anyway when I got into work. But for once, I was totally awake while driving in - I know, totally scary thought to think about the 355 other days of the year. There's something about rain that energizes me. I exercise more cuz how amazing and peaceful is it is go running in the rain. Its funny, too. When I run, I always come across some other person who are out there, too. And they almost always give me a "aren't we two peas in a pod" look, maybe say something about how nothing stops us from our daily run, eh? I don't like to admit that I'm not a running fanatic like they are (Or Canadian for that matter, but that's another story). That I'm not out there despite the weather. And that about the only time I can muster up the energy to go running at all is when its wet out. The dogs get more walks, too, whether they like it. I strongly suspect from their behavior this morning that they'd much rather curl up in their beds when its raining outside. And actually, that's pretty nice, too - sitting around in my pj's with a dog on my lap, watching the rain come down. Everything seems better when its raining (except for maybe driving, which I had to do this morning, but whatever, I'm not letting anything get me down today).

I've been hearing a lot lately that its a La Nina year, so we can expect more rain in general. I say bring it on. Its about time.