Butch Loves Cloudy And Rainy Days!

By: John “Butch” Dale

Why do most people look forward to summer and sunny days? And why do these same people think that a cloudy or rainy day is miserable? Do they enjoy looking up at the sun, sweating in 95-degree weather, putting on their sunglasses, and slapping on the sunscreen? This makes them happy?

Well, my wife is one of those people. I am just the opposite. I’ll take clouds over sunshine any day of the week, and I love rainy days…no downpours, just a light, gentle rain. The fall and winter seasons are also my favorites, even though I have to shell out money for LP gas. Many people become depressed on cloudy and rainy days. And a large percentage of the population become depressed during the winter months, especially after the Christmas season. Psychologists have a term for this depression…”SAD”…Seasonal affective disorder. I also experience this depression….in the summer!

I suppose my feelings about cloudy days must stem from some event in my childhood. I do recall being in the haymow of our barn on a cloudy or rainy day, and just feeling at peace…watching the clouds roll by, listening to the rain on the metal barn roof, feeling a cool breeze while sitting by the barn haymow window…Reading a book in my upstairs bedroom as snow swirls by my window…Going for a walk down the road as a storm gathers in the west…Getting caught in the rain as I pedaled my bike home from baseball practice. These are all pleasant memories for me.

My brain also seems to function better, and I have more creative energy when it’s cloudy or rainy. I just can’t get as much done on a sunny day. For me the worst part of any day is the early morning, just as the sun is coming over the horizon. My favorite part of the day is evening, after the sun has disappeared. Many folks are absolutely terrified of lightning…not me. And some people refuse to drive in the rain. That doesn’t bother me at all. When it’s cold and cloudy outside, I love to curl up in a chair and read a good book, and sip a cup of coffee or hot tea. When it’s snowing or raining while I am working at the library, of course very few patrons show up. I enjoy talking with people, but times like

that offer me a bit of a respite, a sense of isolation, and some down time from a sometimes hectic day. Everyone needs to be alone at least part of each day…to think, relax, and take a break. Rainy and cloudy days improve my mood and make me happy.

On a similar note, I much prefer working at night rather than the daytime. During most of the years when I was a deputy on the Sheriff’s department, I worked the night shift…by choice. Even after I was elected Sheriff, I worked at night. First of all, the most serious crimes and accidents occur more often at night, and I wanted to be there. But secondly, I just preferred working at night. I was able to get more done. However, it seemed that I ended up working both day and night as county sheriff…averaging around 73 hours a week!

As I get older (I will soon be 75 years old), I have found that I love dark, cloudy, and rainy days even more. Perhaps God is hinting that I might not even be waking up to see any sunrises in a few years. Suits me, as long as I don’t end up in the hot, firelight cavern of Hell down below. If I am lucky, I hope God will let me sit by the window in his Heavenly haymow, supply me with coffee and some good books, and send over a steady stream of dark clouds and gentle raindrops…with perhaps a bolt of lightning once in a while…. I will be eternally grateful!

– John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 32 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.