Rain, rain, don't go away

Rainy, windy, cold day on the Coast of the Sun.

The kind of day that turns your umbrella inside out - twice.

I love it.

I think that's a statement you can only truly understand if you've spent any time living in the desert.  I feel like my three years in Phoenix created a huge longing in me for rainy days that hasn't quite gone away yet.  I had lived in Maryland for 13 years before I left for Phoenix, and had regarded rain as a necessary evil - something to be endured rather than enjoyed.

But there's nothing that will get you to appreciate something like experiencing the near-total absence of it.  Don't get me wrong, the relentless sunshine of Phoenix is one thing I like a lot about the city. But sometimes the soul just needs a good stormy day, for balance.

Today my bus stopped early and I had to walk the few minutes home along the beach (rough life), the whitecaps frothing, the sea silver and heaving. The rain was darting down like missiles, and I was getting creamed in the fight to stay dry.

But I knew that waiting for me at the end of the cold, wet walk was warm pajamas, a cold beer, a movie and The Mister.

And that made it all okay.