On weather

When I’m in a decaying neighborhood on a cloudy day it makes me sad, but when I’m in that same neighborhood on a sunny day it makes me happy. I notice this when I’m walking or running. When it’s overcast, I linger on the boarded-up windows of an abandoned building. When the sun is shining, I smile at the stained glass window in the old church.

Yesterday on a sunny run, I saw a young boy digging a hole in his yard across the street from a boarded up building. I think he was just digging for the heck of it. He was digging! It made me happier, somehow.

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One month later...

I was driving on a two lane highway yesterday, in early spring, with old barns and antique shops a quarter mile apart. I'd driven on that same stretch on a gray day in late fall, and back then it felt isolated and lonely. But yesterday, in the sun and early blooms, it felt isolated and peaceful.

Come to think of it, this might be true in cities, too. When overcast, downtowns feel like sterile concrete traps, but in the sun they are a marvel of industry and civilization.