Today I woke up to the wonderful sound of rain being deflected off of the window that I left open last night. Being a lover of a great rainstorm I thought I’d write a post suggesting what to do in the middle of one. Or at least what I like to do. I’ll get to that momentarily. Rain for me signifies refreshing. Newness. Life. Growth. And the like. I can see how too much of it can be depressing for some. But I’ve never look at a rainy day and frowned. I guess that’s just another piece of what makes me different. The most amazing rainstorms I’ve experienced were when I lived in Phoenix. There’s nothing like them, the colours of the sky, the rolling thunder, the heat lightning… and most of all - the smell. There is nothing like the smell of desert rain. Out of the six things I miss in Phoenix, that’s one of them. (The six things I miss in Phoenix isn’t the name of this post, sorry!) 

So, what to do when it rains…

• Go for a drive. Driving in the rain is almost therapeutic for me. You have to get far enough out in the country to avoid all the horrible drivers that your city may be known for. (I’d say Nashville wins worst drivers award, hands down, but that’s just my opinion.) When I take a rainy day drive I even open the sunroof to “soak” it all in. Find your local classical music station on the dial and let the rhythm of the song sync up to the raindrops… falling on your head. If you have Sirius satellite radio channel 80 is awesome. 
• Watch a classic. Probably my favourite thing to do is grab a film off my shelf and throw it in the DVD player. To completely enjoy this the windows must be open and the blinds fully up. I usually watch one of my top ten heart-warmer films like Big Fish, Finding Neverland, A Good Year… Return to Me… Serendipity (I’d have to now add August Rush to that list) …you get the idea. Any film will do really, it’s raining - it’s your time to curl up on the couch with your favourite blanket (in my case) or your favourite person if you are blessed enough to have someone in your life. Don’t forget a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate… and some kettle corn. 
• Become a reader. Not enough people read here in “fast-food America” and it’s a shame really. I am so happy that years ago I decided to shed the “I’m too cool to read” attitude that I carried in school. What was that? Nothing but an excuse, that’s all. And if thats you… well you’re only hurting yourself. Nobody thinks you’re cool because you don’t read. I’d say the opposite really. The rain and thunder adds great drama to a good book. Make sure you are next to the window when you curl up with that book you are going to go get at Barnes and Noble. If you haven’t read in forever and don’t know where to start. Go to the classic rack and grab a story that sounds fun and enchanting. Don’t grab something boring and lame, or you’ll never get back into reading. People are always asking me for my book recommendations, and I gladly give them. I have one friend who once asked for my recommendations so I rifled off about 5 great titles full of adventure and excitement. He thanked me and then went and bought the most boring book ever, full of big wordy words and philosophies. And never finished a chapter. So please, don’t be that guy. The book I read that got me back into reading was The Catcher in the Rye. I think I was intrigued by the main character and his strong will to just pack up and go. It’s not the best book ever. But to me it warms my soul every time I see the cover at the bookstore, ’cause that’s what sparked my love for reading. 
• Play in the puddles. Yeh, that’s right, I said it. Go jump around in it. Feel like a total moron, who cares? Someone may laugh or make fun, but deep down they are really saying, “Man I wish I did that.” Hah. When it would rain when I was a kid I went nutso in it. My parents wouldn’t see me for hours, especially when we lived next to Skunk Creek in Arizona. Man that place was awesome. I used to fly off my bike so many times trying to jump into that creek bed. When it would rain I would try to build dams and aqua ducts and try to save entire lego villages. The best perhaps were the rain gutters in front of the house, you know next to the curb? Yeh, those. I would make a boat out of wax paper and put something or someone in it. And run clear up to the top of the street and smack the champagne bottle on the bow of ship and let it go, running beside it all the way down the road. (Man I can’t wait to have a kid so that I have an excuse to relive this stuff!) If you have a bunch of buddies with some “free-time” (what is that?) go play some tackle football in the rain, nothing better. Yes tackle. You have insurance right? You only live once. 
• Bored Games. Scrabble is probably the best game ever. I could play for hours. Win or lose. It’s great for the mind and sure to provoke MUCH laughter and memories. And with rain, it’s a great excuse to dust off the old playing boards… monopoly, cranium, sorry… the list goes on. One of the funnest “new” games out right now is Pirates Dice. You know in the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie when they played the dice game for their souls? Well they actually made it a game you can buy, and play… wow, such marketing strategy. But it is actually SO stinkin’ fun. (Just don’t wager you’re souls, I think you could go to hell for that one.)  Never trust a pirate. 

So that about does it. Use your imagination, and if you have kids… this is your time to be one with them. Let them get as muddy and wet as possible. And if you don’t have kids… well, it’s a good day to cozy up. That’s all I’m saying.