{No, this is not another post about being happy and focusing on the positive and neither is is a post with a list of my favourite things. This is a post about rain; the title is a quote of a musical song, and you should have known that without me telling you.}
Inspired by Amy's Ode to Tea and Emma's letter to Snow (which she wrote back in December, but still), I am here to talk about Another Thing Which Can't Think Or Talk But Which I'm Going To Pretend That Can. (I'm making sense, right?)
I'm going to talk about rain. Rain, to say in the least, is disastrously underrated. In Belgium; February, March, and just every single month in general, are often rainy months. I go to French Class every Thursday evening, and I'm telling you, every single time they complain about 'the terrible weather in this country.' (In French.) On Sundays, I'll hear at least one person at Church bash my darling and dear Mr Rain. When there's a sunny day, they'll say, 'Oh this is so much better than all that rain.' Which, you know, I respect, and all that - but which constantly reminds me of the fact that rain is extremely and terribly underrated.
My dear and darling Mr Rain, I will be putting you in the limelight today. You may start smiling, for one of your pluviophiles is finally shedding you some glory. (You deserve it and you're welcome.)
“Rainy days should be spent at home with a cup of tea and a good book.” ― Bill Watterson
Dear Mr Rain, people say you are wet. Which, I cannot deny is a fact with extremely reliable sources as you are the very thing; wet. But by no means am I agreeing with the tone of voice in which people say that. They say this with disgusted faces; faces that look like my face when I watch Pride and Prejudice 2005. (Yes, I considered not writing down that about P&P05, but I decided to go for it because that movie just really irritates me and I ain't going to hide that.) People say 'ew, rain is so wet' as if it is a monstrous thing to be. Don't ever stop being wet, rain - I love that you are wet.
Why, if you weren't wet all the fun would be out of it. You wouldn't be an adventure, you wouldn't be cosy, you wouldn't want to make people go inside and warm their hands and put on new dry clothes. You wouldn't make people's hair curly during rain-walks, and that would be a very sad thing indeed. That's the whole nice thing about you, rain - you are wet.
“The only noise now was the rain, pattering softly with the magnificent indifference of nature for the tangled passions of humans.” ― Sherwood Smith
Because you are wet, Liesl and Maria became friends rather than people with an 'oh-I-don't-need-a-governess'-relationship. No really, because if Liesl wouldn't have become wet, Maria wouldn't have given her her nightgown and Maria wouldn't have suggested to clean and dry her gorgeous pink dress for her. That started their good relationship. (No, don't say, 'Well, it would have happened sooner or later.' Be quiet, Sparkler.)
Because you are wet, Marianne Dashwood almost died but then didn't and then fell in love with Colonel Brandon. If you weren't wet, dear Mr Rain, Marianne Dashwood would never have fallen deathly ill, and she would have never really noticed Colonel Brandon at all. Colonel Brandon showed what a hero he was during her illness and without you being wet he would not have made such an impression on Miss Marianne. Also, because you are wet, Elinor looked really cute like that (see picture below) and Edward decided once and for all that he was really in love with her. Good job, Mr Rain.
Because you are wet, Emma Woodhouse was able to make her second match turn into reality. Miss Taylor and Mr Weston's love story only really started when He decided to share his umbrella with her. If you weren't wet, dear Mr Rain, they wouldn't even have had those umbrella's, and they would have never fallen in love! (Take that, rain-haters.)
“Thunderstorms are as much our friends as the sunshine.”
― Criss Jami
People complain also about you being cold. But just because you are cold and wet, you are just about the cosiest thing ever. I have several excellent memories of coming home from rainy walks and snuggling in dry pyjamas and drinking warm chocolate milk. You, my darling Mr Rain, make everyone appreciate the warmth and the dryth (I invented that word because it sounds very good) in our humble abodes. You make everyone nice and wet and nice and chilly so that we can feel that amazing feeling of coming home, drying ourselves, and treating ourselves with hot drinks and cosy evenings of dry blankets and a good movie. That feeling is just about the best thing ever, and I really really really appreciate your coldness and your wetness.
And in the summer, your cold and wetness is even more appreciated. Ugh, it's just perfect when you decide to say hello when it's stifling hot outside - your wonderful fat and wet and cold raindrops are sheer glory on our burning skin during the summer.
Keep on being cold and wet, Mr Rain. Thank you. Let's shake hands.
“I love the smell of rain and growing things.” ― Serina Hernandez
People go on, complain that you are dreary. Who put that idea in their heads, pray? Okay, well, you can have the impression that you're grey and dark and grumbly - especially if you decide to thunder (which, don't get me wrong, I love) - but people don't see the good sides! I have said it already, but I shall repeat it again - you are cosy. There is nothing I love better than a long and dark rainy day. I love the pattern of your raindrops on my window, and I love spending time in my room when you are doing your thing outside.
You are romantic too, Mr Rain, for all of cinema's most epic love scenes are in the rain. (Except Mr Darcy's proposal in P&P05. That was just silly, Mr Rain.)
Take Roger Hamely's adorable rain-filled proposal - Molly Gibson just loved it. And take Catherine and Henry's little rain-moment; not my personal favourite scene in Northanger Abbey, but millions adore it. And then there's that classic, classic scene in Singing in the rain, where the Gene Kelly guy dances and sings in the rain. (I know; it's not a romantic scene, because it's just him - but it's an epic and a famous cinema scene, sooo.)
“I love rainstorms...the thunder, lightning, wind, all of it. So much going on at once, so many emotions...just like me.” ― April Mae Monterrosa
Just like you, Mr Rain, Dr Seuss is a genius, because I'm pretty sure he loved you. First 'Sally and I' complain about not being able to do anything but 'sit sit and sit' (and they did not like it, not one little bit) just because it's raining. (Ha. They're so funny, aren't they?) But then The Cat comes in (which is really creepy if you think about it) and he says, 'I know it is wet and the sun is not sunny, but we can do lots of things that is funny!' And yes, I heartily agree with the good old Cat Hat.
WHO TOLD YOU, I ask, WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU CAN'T DO THINGS WHEN IT'S RAINING?!!!
There a millions of things you can do when it's raining. You can read a book, write stories (writing always comes easier when it's raining outside), make pancakes, watch movies, tidy your room (tidying your room is nice when it's raining), make scrapbooks, read blog posts and I know not what! And if you want, you can go outside and sing and dance in the rain. That's always possible too.
“Heavy rains and a good book. A perfect extravagance.”
― Carew Papritz
You are also really emotional, rain - you provide for a lot of tear-gerkers. In fact, there's this famous quote by Charlie Chaplin in which he says that he likes walking in the rain so no-one can see him crying. (Apparently Rowan Atkinson said this too once, but he was probably just quoting Charlie Chaplin - who forgot to copyright his quote.) There are several scenes in cinema with you, Mr Rain, in it - which make me choke up a Whole Lot.
Molly Gibson and Roger Hamely's proposal is an example, but the classic example is Eponine's death scene in Les Miserables - and her gorgeous rain-filled solo, On My Own.
"There's nothing in the world that compares to the feel and smell of brand-new rain."
— Colleen Hoover
Furthermore, my dear Mr Rain, you smell amazingly. You make the earth smell amazing; you make the earth bring forth fruit - you make the flowers grow, the blossom colour, the trees green and the fruit ripen. In retrospect, you give us books - because without trees there wouldn't be books, and without you there wouldn't be trees. And you give us chocolate, because without cocoa beans and milk there wouldn't be chocolate, and without you there wouldn't be cocoa beans, and without cows there wouldn't be milk, and without you there wouldn't be cows alive on earth.
You are amazing, Mr Rain, and you do, quite frankly, not deserve all the hate comments and bullying you receive daily. I promise I never sang 'Rain, rain, Go to Spain' when I was a little girl, and I promise I never shall. Seriously, there are so many people who yearn for some raindrops, so I know it's foolish to complain when you're so gracious to bestow my country with your showers of generosity.
Finally and most importantly, without you, my darling and dearest Mr Rain, there would be no rainbows, and that would make the world a very sad place indeed. (And without you, one wouldn't be in need of umbrellas - and umbrellas are pretty darn cute objects of shelter.)
Do you like rain?
(Say yes.)
