I love rainy days. I swear I should live in the Pacific Northwest – when I wake up to clouds and drizzle I feel so peaceful. I never wonder what to do on a rainy day – I open the windows just a crack, enough to let the soothing sound of droplets send me into a state of zen. I throw open the curtains, grab my book (right now I’m reading The Book of Night Women by Marlon James) and a cup of freshly brewed Sumatra with cream, and snuggle up.
I’ll admit, though, that when my kids were little, rainy days weren’t always spent in such peaceful pleasure. Keeping two active athletes busy was a trick – and if we weren’t chasing them down the ski course, I was attempting to wrap them up and snuggle them close with promises of Curious George, Madeline, Harry Potter or Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It didn’t matter if we were at home or in a bookstore, those moments of feeling their small bodies nestled next to me, tiny hands pointing to George as he swallowed the puzzle piece and eyes wide open when the Deatheaters appeared are etched into my heart as placeholders of the love I have for my boy and girl.
One day, not too long ago, I found myself alone on a rainy day in a bookstore, and the memories came flooding so fast I found myself in the children’s section, finding comfort in the familiar book covers. While my kids no longer fit on my lap, these moments of what to do on a rainy day fill my heart like a flash from the past.
And to all those moms who are wondering if El Nino will ever end, please pause, pull out your favorite book and take a moment for yourself. Cuddle up with your baby if you still can, and remember that someday you’ll be alone on a rainy day, wishing you had taken that moment when you could.
