Sunshine Smunshine

This post isn't about an adventure, but it is something I should address to get it out of the way...the weather.  If you like lots of sunshine, Cleveland isn't the place for you.  Move out west to Cali or AZ.  I have plenty of friends who did (but then you have the heat/earthquakes/floods/etc to deal with).  Shoot, if you need another kick in the Cleveland crotch, you can search on Forbes.com for a lovely national article which lists Cleveland as one of the worst winter weather cities.

I volunteered to walk the dog last night.  I zipped up my coat tight and put on my winter hat despite the fact that it is April.  It was dreary and overcast with a chilly slight breeze.  If I didn't know the date, I would have expected to go home to read Dudo (pronounced Dude-O) Sleepy Hollow and cook up some hot apple cider.  We all have a choice: either complain about the weather or revel in it.  Typically, I would complain.  I love to complain.  Who doesn't?  Complaining about the weather also brings people together.  When you are alone with someone you barely know, what do you talk about?  That's right, the weather.

Today I accompanied two of my favorite people in my office when they took some outdoor pictures for an upcoming matter.  Afterwards, our "smoke" break consisted of a walk to Starbucks.  The frigid wind sweeping across cold Lake Erie and into my face was accentuated by the soaking raindrops.  I have heard lots of people here complain about the weather today.  They are ready for spring.

I have decided not to complain the last few days, but to revel in this weather.  Why?  I love cold rainy days.  My best creative work was crafted when the skies are gray, cold, and threatening.  I do not think I ever wrote one good poem during a sunny day.  Maybe others do, but my creativity spawns from despair.

Not only that, some of my favorite memories are from cold rainy days.  Back in my high school days, I remember scaling a cliff with a jar of salamanders in my sports bra in the Cleveland Metroparks with my friend Heidi.  We spent hours tromping around the woods looking for insects and animals for my Biology and Indpendent Study of Ecology courses.  Do you think students in AZ in the late 90s had the opportunity to do these things?  No, at least the ones in Scottsdale had to be indoors between the hours of 10 a.m and 5 p.m due to the heat.  Hands down I take a blissful rainy Cleveland day as opposed to the buzz of the florescent lights indoors elsewhere.

One last observation, because of the crazy weather, Clevelanders cherish sunny days.  Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.  I read time and time again on facebook about all my friends' plans when the sun is shining.  Clevelanders put aside housework or DVRed shows to go out for a run, grab a beer with friends on a patio, or cook out with family.  Yes, snowy and rainy days stink, but it makes the sun that much brighter in Cleveland.