photo by Tylar Sutton
Weirdness. Otherness. Peculiarities. We all have these characteristics that seem odd and out of place with the norms of society. I’m not a social scientist by any means, so I won’t go into any theories about feelings of strangeness within a group—but I do want to express a moment of triumph. Recently, something I enjoy that friends have often called strange was brought up in a conversation. The person who mentioned it recommended the supposedly strange activity without any prompting from me. The experience made me feel slightly more normal. What hobby could this be? Well, it’s spending time outdoors during a rain shower.
A spring or summer rain shower is glorious. So long as no thunder or lightening show up and ruin the party, the warm water has a way of making any gloomy day better. When I was a youngster, my parents would often pop in a musical for me to watch. My favorite was always “Singing in the Rain.” In that world—one where it is completely acceptable to burst into spontaneous song—Gene Kelly could smile and stomp in puddles as a way of expressing his joy. Of course, a patrolman does judge him towards the end of his iconic number, but the moment is still overwhelmingly jubilant.
Walking through a warm rain shower is just that: a jubilant and carefree experience. Each drop washes away more than just your carefully constructed style and cosmetics—the water returns you to a simpler state if you allow it.
I usually love to keep complete control of my life. I have my phone and headphones in the right pocket, keys in the left. A hair tie rests on my right wrist, waiting for the inevitable moment when I lose patience with my long hair and pull it into a ponytail. I hardly ever leave the house without my phone. Every day, the constant buzzing, chirping and digitized voices are a major part of my life. I love being connected to family miles away. It’s a vital part of my day. However, sometimes these devices that are meant to connect us create a disconnect with our inner voice.
That’s one of the glories of going out in the rain—moisture doesn’t agree with your phone, so it has to stay home. It’s a natural ultimatum. Leave the phone home, or it will spend the next 24 hours in a tub of rice. Removing the distractions, I love standing there and just getting drenched. For the few moments that the water washes over my head, I don’t need to worry about being in control. I just get to relax and look around at the great outdoors surrounding me.
But who made me feel less weird for doing this? That was Betsy Kling, meteorologist at WKYC. Kling was kind enough to chat with us this month about life in Northeast Ohio, family fun and, of course, the weather. I asked her during our conversation what she likes to do when the clouds cover the sky and rain is in the forecast. Her response of venturing outdoors mirrored my own inclination.
In this issue, we are looking at the sunny side of overcast days. When the ever-unpredictable Ohio weather drives us inside, the fun doesn’t have to stop. The rainy-day activities we discuss in this issue are just a small sampling of what you could do when trapped inside. Whether you decide to check out one of those unique experiences or just go for a stroll in the warm summer rain, have a little fun. After all, it isn’t snow.
