"Here comes the rain, here comes the rain."

Years ago, I went to New Orleans Jazz Fest with my dear friend Ashley Henson.  It was one of our many trips to follow Dave Matthews and Widespread Panic.  We arrived at the fairgrounds for the shows to begin and not long after Dave took the stage, it began to rain.  He was about to sing his song JTR, and with the instruments already playing the melody, he sang "Here comes the rain, here comes the rain."  Then in true Dave Matthews form, he muttered some incomprehensible phrases to himself and the show went on.  It was one of the best concerts I ever went to, despite the rain.  We left soaked to the bone and with blackened feet from our flip flops in the mud, but none of that mattered...it actually made the event more memorable. 

Living in Ireland, I got a good taste of the rain.  It didn't matter if it was terrible outside, you still got up most days and did something.  It might have been a walk through St. Stephens Green to Grafton Street or a jog down the canal.  It could have been miserable outside, but life went on because it had to, because it was normal in Dublin and people had jobs to do, no matter the weather.  There were days when I would prefer to sit on the "couch" and watch movies, but most days, if I didn't have to work, I got up and did something just to get out of the house.  My friends and I commented on this a lot because back home, if we had weather like that we'd just stay in the the house and lay low, but you can't do that in a place where the rain is so common.  It becomes depressing. 

It hasn't been rainy here in Milan much, but it began yesterday and is supposed to continue throughout the middle of the week.  It's funny, but I woke up in a better mood today with the rain than I have in several days with sun.  Yes, I love my sunshine and I will do just about anything to make sure I build back my tan, but the rain doesn't seem so bad here.  It's coming down heavier than it did most days in Dublin, but it's refreshing here in Milan.  Maybe it's because the city is so gray and dirty looking most of the time that the rain is almost a symbol for the cleansing of winter and freshness of spring.  The grass is getting greener, the air is crisp, it's actually put me in a great mood.  Waking up today, I planned to immediately go for a run but the rain was coming down too hard so I opted for a workout video.  I showered and got ready for a grocery store trip and then even walked through the open market that is near my apartment on Monday.  In Charleston, I'd probably go to and from work and that's it on a day like today, but Dublin taught me to get out there, even on the yucky days, and not let the rain bring me down.  Yes, there are still times I'd rather fix a cup of hot tea and watch a movie, but for the most part, I'm learning to embrace even the rainy moments as good ones...from now on, I'll try to "seize the day" no matter the weather!