Rainy Days, Wimbledon, and the Closet Monster.

I have a complicated relationship with rainy days.

On one hand, they ruin plans.

On the other hand, they give me permission to avoid making plans.

A rainy day is nature’s way of saying, stay home.

Honestly, that feels like a gift.

This week’s weather arrived with all the enthusiasm of a wet sock. The air was humid, the rain pummeled the scorched lawn and even the dog looked offended.

So naturally, I embraced it.

I settled in to watch Wimbledon starting at 6am, where impossibly fit young people run for hours without requiring ibuprofen, cortisone injections, or a heating pad.

I also continued my latest television obsession…Dutton Ranch, the Yellowstone spinoff. Between family feuds, betrayals, questionable life choices, and dusty Texas scenery, it makes my family seem remarkably well-adjusted.

For balance, I binge watched Alice and Steve, a recently released British comedy/drama series on Hulu/Disney+ about Alice, whose life unravels when her best friend, Steve, starts dating her 26-year-old daughter, leading to a dark, escalating feud between the two besties.

Apparently, my entertainment strategy now consists entirely of watching other people’s lives while avoiding my own to-do list.

Which brings us to the closet.

We all have one.

That closet.

The one we open carefully because we are afraid something might fall out and file a restraining order.

Mine has become a holding facility for things I could not decide what to do with.

In addition, there is a collection of charging cords for devices that no longer exist.

I had misplaced my diamond studs and was apprehensive about moving forward with a search and seizure. I lose jewelry at a ridiculous rate and could not face another failed mission.

Rainy days have a funny way of forcing a reckoning.

You can only watch so much television before the closet starts whispering your name.

So I finally tackled it not because I wanted to, but because I ran out of excuses.

I emerged victorious, slightly dusty, and deeply confused about why I had been avoiding it for so long.

The closet looks better.

The house feels lighter.

I have once again learned one of life’s great lessons.

The things we put off are usually far less painful than the amount of energy we spend avoiding them.