So … how about that weather?
The thorough rinsing almost all of Texas received this past week meant one thing here at Texas A&M: students complained about wet feet and used the weather as an excuse to skip out on class.
Yes, A&M’s drainage system is almost as bad as our class registration process. Yes, during heavy rainfall, you can see water actively jumping out of manhole covers in favor of puddling on the concrete on the north side of main campus. And yes, College Station is so windy that the rain never falls straight down so umbrellas are kind of useless anyway.
I hear your wet socks and inverted umbrellas, and I’ll raise you empty sidewalks and the beauty of nature. It’s time to stop complaining about the rain and start appreciating it.
Everyone around here seems to be secretly made of cotton candy. If as much as a light drizzle is falling, my GroupMe chats are inundated with messages in the spirit of “love having wet shoes in class” and “not coming to campus today, don’t feel like messing with the rain.”
That’s actually one of the reasons I love rainy days — campus is much less crowded than on a clear day, which means my walks to class are actually enjoyable. I mean, sure, my $5 Walmart umbrella can’t handle even one gust of honest-to-goodness College Station wind, but that’s a tradeoff I’m willing to make.
I will concede that it’s terrifying to walk in the rain when your laptop is only a couple of zippers away from the gale. Pro tip: If you don’t have a waterproof case, wrap that bad boy up in a couple of gallon Ziplocks and maybe a trash bag or two, then slip on some wellies and maybe a poncho, and you’re golden.
I will also concede that being cold and wet is about 10 times worse than just being wet, but let me hit you with a scenario. You finally make it home after a wet, chilly day, drop your stuff at the door and jump straight into a steaming hot shower. Bonus points if you throw your towel into the dryer beforehand so it’s nice and warm when you get out. If that doesn’t sound like heaven on Earth, I don’t know what is.
Finally, my last piece of advice for enjoying rainy days: enjoy them.
Listen to the raindrops drumming out a cryptic tattoo all around you — on the pavement and leaves, on the roof of your car, around the ribs of your umbrella. Walking around on a rainy day with one ear plugged into the Lord of the Rings soundtrack is the closest I’ve ever come to feeling like I was on a Middle-earthian adventure.
Even without music, rainy days can be an opportunity to just think. In our world of constant screens and speech, being alone with your thoughts can be difficult to achieve. One of the most peaceful summer nights I spent here at A&M was atop the Northside Parking Garage during a heavy storm. 10/10, would recommend — as long as there’s no lightning, obviously.
After the last drops have been squeezed from the clouds, it’s still not over yet. I maintain that the whole “find a rainbow after every storm” thing is pretty overstated — I’ve been in a ton of storms and I’ve only seen a handful of rainbows — but that post-rain smell is divine. True fans know that’s the petrichor charm.
Then again, if you’re not really into the whole sensory experience, you could always take solace in the fact that a rainy day means you get to say “Oh yeah, we needed this” to whoever will listen. That’s got to count for something.
Either way, I recommend the next time the sky cracks open and raindrops start rapping on your window and beckoning you outside, maybe you should go hear what they have to say.
Charis Adkins is an English junior and opinion columnist for The Battalion.
