Wednesday, October 10, 2007

gloomy weather, hear my cry

“Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”—Elijah, in First Kings

I know a lot of people whose moods are affected by the weather: a bleak day makes for a bleak mood. I’m one of those people… only in reverse. Rain makes me comfortable, while too many sunny days (read: our weather right now) makes me mutter irritably.

After too many sunny days—say, four—the weather’s cheerfulness feels forced. You know how you’ll be smiling for a bunch of photos at some event, and then your smile freezes, your face grows numb, and you wonder if you’re smiling or grimacing…? Well, the sun is leaving me numb these days.

It startled me, actually, how much I miss the rainy days at Calvin. At the time, I didn’t think they came all that often—though someone did tell me that Grand Rapids was one of the rainier and cloudier spots in the U.S.

And those days seemed to come especially often in October: cozy weather, perfect for studying. Everyone brought out their cocoa, cider, coffee, and tea, and I would study with the windows open so I could hear the rain fall. Every room looked more welcoming. And I loved the walks to class: skirting worms as I went, smiling at the multi-colored leaves stuck to the black paths—it felt like walking over stained glass, or the insides of a kaleidoscope—enjoying that close, peaceful feeling that rain always brings…

One of my roommates loathed the rain, and she would come into the living room of our apartment, hating the dampness, the dreariness. Poor girl. I was curled up in an afghan, reading T.S. Eliot, and drinking tea, and I couldn’t see what the problem was. (Another roommate felt the same way I did—even better, she’d go running in the rain. Not jogging along the streetside, no: tearing off down the green hills, barefoot, delighting in the rain.)

It all makes me think I’m living too far south, or something—I need a murkier climate. Cruises to the Bahamas or the Mediterranean don’t really interest me (okay, I take that back: of course I’d love the Mediterranean!), but a cruise to Alaska, or one that goes to England, perhaps Scotland… now that sounds perfect!

I’m dreading the prospect of a mild winter, which is what they’re calling for in my area this year. (I’m knitting a new scarf anyway, in defiance.) It was too mild last year, and will be mild again… it’s enough to send me north, boots and mittens in tow. I had never been surrounded by as much snow as I was at Calvin, and I absolutely loved it. Granted, scraping cars and sliding around on ice is never fun, but tromping around in snow is wonderful!

I always tried to acclimate to the cold weather as soon as possible: my particular recipe involved getting ice cream from the dining hall—there was a peanut-butter-and-chocolate flavor that I liked—and then plunging out into the cold, sleeves rolled up, eating the ice cream, snowflakes falling on my spoon… that seemed to work well.

And to think—I only got pneumonia after moving further south!—jl

Note: For those of you following along with the novel saga: the draft is trembling at 47,500 words, with more (hopefully!) to come…

Posted by Jenn Langefeld on 10/10 at 02:56 PM
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