Gray is a Good Color

  Well, imagine that.   It was another dreary day here on the Bayou.  Rain threatened to pour down upon us at any given minute and, in fact, did a good job of soaking us several times.   Late this afternoon, a terrific storm pounded the area with high winds, lightning and torrential downpours.  Then it was over and the sun made a feeble attempt to make up for its "no-show" status of the day.  This was nothing new, however, since we have had more than our share of rain for about a year now.

  All of these gray days have a lot of folks complaining.  The drear is just too much for some people to handle.  It is a proven fact that the lack of light can do some mighty strange things to the brain and I suppose that gray skies can be considered a "lack of light"...well, maybe a lack of sunshine anyway.  Those living in darkness can be prone to bouts of depression caused by changes in the brain.  I can remember being told stories by Granddad about how the coalminers back in his time had to be careful if they worked the day shift.  It seems that working with the small carbide lanterns did not provide suitable lighting to help with the mental state of the workers. Then, when they left the mines, there was little time before sunset.  It did not take long before the workers attitudes were not desirable so it became the custom to "swap shifts" periodically.  Granddad had worked the mines as a lad and saw firsthand how this worked.  He stressed to me at an early age how important it was to get a "healthy dose of sunshine" each day.

  Granted having so many cloudy days pales to compare to the hard work and terrible conditions of the coalminers but people are whining about the dark, dreary days.  I, on the other hand, have no problem with the dreary days.  As a matter of fact, I find them inspiring.  The days make me feel creative, imaginative and energetic.  Perhaps this stems from growing up on the farm where rainy days meant a day off from working in the fields or doing other farm chores.   Or maybe my brain is just wired a bit differently than other folks' brains and I need darkness to function properly.  Whatever...I really do like my gray days and rainy nights!  Complaining about the weather never has changed it anyway.  So I might as well enjoy whatever the day brings.