“I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.”

– Joseph Priestly

The Carpenters sang about Rainy Days and Mondays and how they always get you down.  Today is a rainy Monday where I live.  The weekend is over and it is time to get back to the business of work and school and productivity.  The laid-back feeling of a weekend free of schedules has been replaced by the early-morning alarm that calls us back to action.  Goodbye, weekend; hello Monday.  What will it bring, and why don’t I feel down about the arrival of a rainy Monday morning?

I think the Carpenters had the wrong idea.  Monday marks a fresh, new beginning of an untouched week.  I am particularly glad for the rain that has been falling since Sunday as I watch it wash the cinders down the gutter in front of my house.  There is nothing like a good rainstorm to give the world a fresh and sparkling feeling.  Last week has been washed away, and a clean slate lies in front of us.  What will we write there?  What magic will appear as we grab our umbrellas and venture out into a brand new day?

There is nothing like the rain that washes winter away and presents us with the clean new season of Spring.  For just a moment, close your umbrella.  Tilt your head back and let the raindrops kiss your face and wash away whatever clutters your mind.  Allow yourself to feel the refreshment that comes with Spring cleaning.  Don’t be surprised if you find yourself skipping through a puddle or two and singing in the rain.  Open the gift that lies before you — a Monday, complete with rain!  What more could you ask for?