“April showers bring May flowers.” This is a typical cliché that can be heard over and over again this time of year. We typically associate the month of April with rain and hold out hope that May will bring flowers and brighter, happier days. However, I personally cherish the rainy days that April brings. Although I will admit I am not a fan of my frizzy rain hair, I don’t really have any other issues with the rain. In fact, I love rainy days! Here’s why…

Rain Boots. The thrill of rain boots is the ability to jump in puddles with little care of getting wet. One of my first memories on campus was walking back to Redding Hall with my now best friend, seeing a massive puddle, looking at each other, and then taking off running and jumping in it. If that’s not the beginning of a true friendship, I don’t know what is.

If you’re not one for child-like fun, there are also practical reasons that rain boots are so great and why they make rain more bearable. It can be a pain when you just really need to get to class, but the shortcut you usually take is all muddy and you don’t want to get your new shoes covered in mud. Solution? RAIN BOOTS.

Books. Who reads books for fun nowadays? Well, I do. If that’s not your cup of tea, insert Netflix or however else you may wish to spend your time. On a sunny day when your friend asks you if you want to go hammock or hang out on the Harrington turf playing soccer or volleyball, it’s really hard to say no. On a rainy day though, none of these outdoor activities are really applicable, and it’s so much more socially acceptable to curl up by yourself with a good book or your laptop.

The Smell. There is nothing more satisfying than the smell of rain radiating off the pavements. This is without a doubt the best part of the rain. After running back from class in your rain boots and grabbing your favorite book that you haven’t read in forever, you can crack open a window and smell the freshness of the earth. I love embracing nature and its amazing features.

I understand that rain isn’t always the best thing in the world, but it provides the nourishment for those beautiful, sunny days. On the next rainy day, I challenge you to try to find the sunshine in life through these wonders of rain. As the musician Robert Wood once said, “Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.” During these last few rainy days of April who will YOU choose to be?