My unexpected best friend forever

Writer / Peter J. Blackburn

Why rainy days are good days.


It’s raining outside. In the past, rainy days used to irk me. After all, a dichromate printer who relies upon the sun as the sole UV source for printing demands cloud-free days. No sun, no prints.

I’m not bothered anymore. I’ve learned to appreciate rainy days for the unexpected treasures they bear. If anything, those gorgeous wildflowers I take great relish to photograph are sustained by the thirst quenching liquid refreshment of a good, soaking rain. Ok. Let it rain, if only for their precious sake.

Oh, but there is more to appreciate about rainy days. Rainy days make me put aside my tactile tasks to explore more cerebral endeavors. Rainy days provide time to meditate on the why and how of my photography. Meditation is important — no, crucial to maintaining my focus and direction. Rainy days help to germinate creative ideas for future pursuit. Rain washes out my gutters of petty indecision, mediocrity, and unattainable pipe dreams. On rainy days, I can read and write in my journals. I can review and intensely evaluate my previous work. Yes, rainy days have been known to help me discard washed out and washed up images — inferior work which should have been trashed long ago. Sometimes, rainy days excite me so much, I simply must venture out to photograph all the glistening charm and subtle beauty which only a wet surface can provide.

They say that a little rain must fall in everyone’s life. Well, there’s a little rain falling today. Welcome, my friend.

Leave a Comment