Drizzling rain creates a picturesque climate and makes any town look its finest. The drizzle accentuates the greenery, makes the bright flowers pop and makes my house look like a quaint cottage from a fairytale.
Thunderstorms are exciting. They're powerful and ignite energy and ideas within you.
Seriously though, how often is rain a key point to plots of books, movies, life? You need dark, heavy rainclouds to set a suspenseful mood. So many of my dad's stories begin "It was a dark and stormy night..." Immediately that simple detail shows you a vision. I see a midnight black sky, no moon or stars to be seen but rather lightning illuminating the world below. A gigantic tree sways under the power of the rain. The scene is deserted as few are brave or foolish enough to tempt nature's fury.
Yet drizzling rain has many more possibilities. It can be that missing element to a European story, something set in Paris perhaps. Starring Audrey Hepburn, or someone as classy, dressed to the nines and staring up at the Eiffel Tower. Umbrellas of all colors whirl past as the Parisians rush to their destinations. Yet a kind stranger, most likely male and handsome in this case, notices the lovely foreigner and hands her his umbrella. Without a word, he vanishes, leaving her to ponder his identity with only the nondescript umbrella as a clue.
Really though, so many memorable romances involve the rain. The kiss in the rain is considered perhaps the most romantic thing a couple could accomplish.
Rain can have a depressing connotation as well. Someone die? It's probably raining at the funeral, obviously a reminder of the tears being shed. Someone feeling down for any reason? If they glance through their window, it'll generally be raining. A lover rush off, leaving you calling after their taxi? Without a doubt, it'll start to pour on your head.
Regardless of its use though, rain is vital to plots as can be seen in such movies as:
The Notebook (I've never even seen the movie, but in the picture that is always associated with it, it's raining.)
Down with Love (Poor Ewan McGregor. I would never leave you standing in the rain.)
Moulin Rouge (Yet again, Ewan McGregor does seem to attract falling water.)
Singing in the Rain (Please. You cannot be more obvious than this. Although Gene Kelly's dance sequence is amazing.)
I could go on, but I'd rather move forward...
All in all, rain is lovely. Often I just curl up in a chair with a cup of tea and read (today was Dash and Lily's Book of Dares. Adorable and highly recommended.). Yet the most inviting thing about rain is the option of dancing in it. Something about the drizzle and bright colors or even the thunderstorms and danger of it all pulls out the strongest desire to throw on my rain boots, grab an umbrella and go for it. Run. Jump in puddles. Choreograph a mini-performance of Singing in the Rain. Swing. Have a photoshoot. Be a child once more. And I do all of those things whenever possible. Still, I feel if people danced in the rain more often, the world might be a happier place.
My sister swinging in the rain way back when.
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