Rainy days are the best! Nothing beats waking up to the pitter-patter of wee droplets sliding down the windowpane. Sometimes spending the day indoors, sitting on the couch, bundled in the fleece blanket, drinking a hot cup of tea, and watching the latest Marvel film is what everyone needs. People tend to overlook rainy days as days that they are allowed to be snug in the comfort that the rain brings. Whatever that may be. Instead of embracing the warm-hearted mindset, people set themselves up to start a project, or to get an early start on spring cleaning. Not all rainy days are meant to be spent on errands and drudgery work. If this is typically how you think, then allow me to inspire you with this list of 15 things that you can do on a rainy day.
There is nothing better to eat on a rainy day than homemade soup. Sitting on the couch, watching The Voice, and holding a bowl of steamy vegetable or tomato soup sounds pretty good to me. When you eat soup on a rainy day, be sure to make it last more than a handful of minutes. Allow time for the warmth of the bowl to thaw your chilly palms. Let the steam rise into your nose, warming the inside of your body. Lastly, hold the bowl close to your chest. The heat of it will soon warm you up. Not to mention, it will soothe your taste buds with its rich flavor.
Another remedy that can set you right in the comfort of the rain is a nice hot cup of tea. My suggestion is to drink tea that will prompt you to relax more comfortably. Some teas that are well-known for having this effect include Chamomile, Lavender, Lemon balm, Passionflower, and Valerian. If you have a sweet tooth at the time, adding a little honey or sugar to the beverage will surely do the trick!
What else could make a rainy day more perfect than a fireplace? Who wouldn’t agree that sitting on a cushy loveseat, feet propped up, welcoming the fire’s heat warm your body, is not the ideal vision of how you want to spend your rainy day? Now, if you do not have a fireplace, that is okay. You can still enjoy the warmth of a fire. Just bundle yourself up in a blanket, slip on your favorite pair of fuzzy socks and lounging clothes, and light every candle you have in the house. It might take longer to warm up, but before you know it, you are surrounded by dainty flames and a cozy warmth.
Rain inspires numerous things. Songs, poems, books. Some of the best songs were written about rain: Have You Ever Seen The Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Purple Rain by Prince, Rain by The Beatles. Also, some of the most renowned poems were written and inspired by the cozy weather: Rain in Summer by Henry Wadsworth Longfello, and Rain Poem by Emily Dickinson. If you are not one who writes much, I highly encourage you to grab a pen and paper. You never know how creative you are until you have written something in the rain.
The best time to dive into the literature world is on a rainy day. Some of the best genres to read on a wet morning include romance, mystery, and tragedy. To name a few books that best fit this description: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, A Room With A View by E. M. Forster, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, The Waves by Virginia Woolf, and And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. A personal rainy-day favorite of mine is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. You can also never go wrong with a regency novel.
“You may find me just a little strange. I like dancing barefoot in the pouring rain.” Dancing in the rain is a recurrent thing to do nowadays (we will get back to that in a few). If you want to talk about a strange and yet fulfilling thing to do on a rainy day, then let’s talk about skimboarding in the rain. I do not know if this is a normal thing to do, but where I come from skimboarding on a rainy day is the norm. When the parks are flooded and school is out, everyone hightails home to change into some sweats, a sweatshirt, grabs their board, and heads for the park. One after another, the neighborhood kids will see who can last the longest on their board. They will generally start by getting a running start, lay their board down as they run, and then jump on it to see how long their balance can last before falling in the mud. Strange, I know, but very fulfilling.
Board games always subdue the gloom of rainy days. Whether it is with family or friends, break out the classics: Monopoly, Clue, Sorry, Life, even Uno, and watch your rainy day become one to remember.
I do not know about you, but when it comes to rainy days, I always manage to crave something sweet. By sweet, I mean chocolate! Since the weather is cold and wet, an easy recipe for chocolate chip cookies will usually suffice. That is just me, though. It is your rainy day, so you bake whatever you want. Cookies, a cake, pudding, pie, cupcakes, brownies. It does not even have to be chocolate.
Whether you are watching it alone, with family or friends, a movie never fails to enliven a rainy day. Any movie will do it. Classics, thrillers, horrors, action, comedy, romances, epic adventures. To name a few, The Breakfast Club, The Avengers, Forrest Gump, Back To The Future, Jurassic Park, Dirty Dancing, Karate Kid (1984), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Princess Bride, The Goonies, The Notebook, Pirates of the Caribbean (Curse of The Black Pearl is my go-to), and Lord of the Rings (all of them). I could go on with the list, but then you would not have time to watch your own.
Everybody likes to sleep. Everyone wants to sleep. The thing about the grey clouds and wet air is that it is perfect for sleep. Whether you are behind on your sleep, or the weather is just too perfect to pass up, take the opportunity, and take a nap. It will not kill you. Let the tinkling sounds of rain resonate with the heat of the fireplace. Allowing the two to cue you to sleep.
Who does not want to be wrapped up like a burrito in a warm fleece blanket on a rainy day? That is the first thing I do when I wake up to a wet and grey morning. Typically, I wrap myself in my tie-knotted blanket. I made it on a rainy day two years ago. I was home, and everybody was gone. I was bored out of my mind. I had already caught up on all my Netflix TV shows, read a few chapters of The Handmaid’s Tale, and had my morning cup of Peppermint tea. I went to Pinterest to find something to do for the rest of my rainy day. That is when I found the tie-knotted blanket pins. It was easier than I thought it would be. It only took me thirty minutes to cut and tie the two fabrics together. The cherry on top of it, though, was that I threw the newly made blanket in the dryer. I had never been so warm in my entire life.
The weather can make us reflect on memories, ponder deeply about something. Sometimes the gloomy weather can make us feel lonely. If this happens, I will generally call a friend and catch up with them. Reminisce about memories and good times. Have a deep conversation with them. Recently, I discovered that having deep conversations with a friend is the cure to any dreary mood. Plus, everyone likes to have deep conversations. They help us create a bond between people or strengthen it if we already have one.
Whether it is on Netflix, Hulu, or Disney Plus, there are bound to be a couple of series’ that you need to watch or catch up on. There may be some that you have been wanting to start but have not had the time to do so yet. Well, now you do. There is no better day to binge-watch Stranger Things, Good Girls, or You than on a rainy day. It just helps sets the mood.
You ever heard the phrase, “I was saving this wine for a rainy day?” If you have not, you have now. Break out a bottle of Amarone or Cabernet Sauvignon and pour yourself a glass. With the chilly air creeping in and the sound of the rain spitting on your window, you deserve to warm up with a glass of red. It will warm you up faster than your electric blanket when its setting is on high.
We have all heard Vivian Greene’s famous quote, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” It was not until I entered high school that I finally danced in the rain. It was pouring. Below sixty degrees. I was at school having lunch when I decided to give it a try. Yes, I got soaked and yes, I was freezing. But the sensation of being immersed in heaven’s downpour was one of the most satisfying feelings I have ever experienced. I am a grown woman and to this day I dance in the rain whenever I get a chance to. If you want to throw on some music and dance inside, that is cool too. However, I will say that dancing under a roof is incomparable to the joy of dancing in the rain.
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