On Rain, Rage, and Re-Entry

Why is the cool, rainy weather soothing me so much on a holiday weekend?

Alternate options might be that it’s disappointing me or depressing me or hampering me in some way.

Nope.

None of that.

Even the gray clouds sans rain on this third day of the Memorial Day weekend give me a feeling of … is it relief?

It is.

I have come to realize there are times when sunshine equals pressure. You know the refrain: It’s so nice out — get out and enjoy it!

Truth is, the introvert in me hates that exclamation point and frankly the sentiment itself.

My mother learned this about me early in my suburban childhood. “It’s beautiful out. Can’t you go out and play like the other kids?” This typically meant I’d take my Nancy Drew book to the backyard and read it on a lawn chair instead of my bed. In case it isn’t clear, I get that what my mother was suggesting was perfectly normal.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy being out in the sunshine. I do. It’s not usually with crowds, though. Or in forced circumstances. Holiday sunshine often comes with pressure to be outside among lots of others. Please, no.

Let’s be honest, I wasn’t high on that before the pandemic. Now? My high is small gatherings…