More of That Rain, Please

A good rainstorm is one of the most calming things in the world. Sometimes I look out my bedroom window and think, “Man, I really should go for a run today.” But on rainy days, that guilty thought is followed by “Well, it’s raining, so I can’t run even if I wanted to!”
The Northeast has been submerged this past week; 30 million people are under a flood watch on the Atlantic coast. In the Midwest and on the West Coast though, annual wildfires are blazing, and heatwaves are scorching suburbs and dry forests alike. I’ll take the falling rain any day.
Sunny days carry a certain expectation with them, especially when you live in Cape May County. When the sun is shining, there is a towering expectation to do something outside, to seize the day. When I so-often do nothing of the sort, I go to bed with a hanging sense of guilt.
Rainy days carry no such expectations. So when I do something adventurous on a water-soaked day, it sticks with me for a long time. I will never forget an ill-advised backpacking trip I took in the 11th grade to the Ouachita Mountains with my brother and two of my best friends. Long story short, I didn’t waterproof my backpack properly; a torrential downpour soaked all of our clothing and gear so badly that the four of us very-manly-men had to spoon on the floor of the lean-to in our underwear just to stay warm for the night.
Dreary, soaked days are some of my favorite days to play Minecraft with my little sister and brother. I don’t get to see either of them very much anymore, maybe once a year. I really didn’t realize how little time I invested in them when I had the chance, and how significant a role they played in my life until I moved 1,700 miles away. 
The saying “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” is one of the truest clichés, but Minecraft gives me a chance to share a space with my siblings again. Survival in Minecraft is literally like living in another world; we explore for hours and bicker over why the front porch of my mountain-house is ugly. This isn’t easy stuff! But it’s a real, breathing world that takes time, thought and investment. Sharing it with my siblings on a rainy day, in-game and otherwise, is a joy.
Something about rain invites introspection. Some rainy days, I dream of wild ambitions only to have them crushed a week later by the harsh oppression of a hot day. Rain forces everyone indoors guilt-free; they force me to think about the things that really matter. Why don’t I call my step-dad more? Why am I so mean to my twin? Am I getting the right degree at school? The rain slides off the roof as I ask hard questions.
But I think to love rain is to love the softer side of life. During rainstorms, I find myself writings letters, watching the bright green foliage and finally finishing those TV shows I never did. I live under such high expectations from myself and others that a nice soak or light pitter-patter is a reminder that says, “Maybe the stakes aren’t as high as you think, Collin.” 
Collin Hall is the publisher’s grandson and editor of The Tartan, Gordon College.