Gray days are satisfied days. Not good, not bad. Not the best but happy with what they are. Cloudy but not dark. With gentle drizzles but never heavy rains. Cool but not cold. Breezy but not windy. They don’t cause traffic jams, only small puddles on the street corners. They’re what you’d call ‘Just One of Those Days’. Unassuming, almost bashful, we’ve all met them. Maybe even shared a laugh. A drink. A meal or two. But, we never seem to catch them coming. Or leaving. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about gray days is that they are truly unremarkable. And quite possibly, their most endearing quality.
Gray days are quiet. They have no expectations from you. Sunny days want you to embrace them. Cold days want you to stay away and seek refuge somewhere else. In a cup of tomato soup and your favorite book, maybe. Gray days don’t judge. They’d like it if you took a leisurely stroll with them. But will totally understand if you need some ‘me-time’. Gray days welcome both cat persons and dog persons. Jocks and nerds. Curls and bangs. They can do so because they understand that these apparent binaries are apparitions in themselves.
While the wintry days make you want to stay in bed as a blanket enchilada all day, gray days nudge you gently to rise up. They won’t keep texting you to get ready for brunch. They won’t demand an Insta-perfect pancake breakfast with bottomless Bloody Marys. (Side note: Why is it not Maries). No, gray days don’t ask for much. A cup of masala chai. Some buttered toast with jam. It doesn’t take much to please gray days. They’ll even encourage you to eat healthily. Maybe try that new spinach tomato bake recipe you’d read. But, they’re totally fine with Chinese takeout too. No pressure. After all, there’s no such thing as a wrong lunch. Gray days would snort at that joke.
You never want to hold onto these gray days. They’ll be by your side at one moment and waving farewell the next. But some of your best memories are of gray days. They aren’t special memories but you remember them all the same. While a gorgeous summer day is like the fond memories of your child’s first words, a gray day is like that one memory you have of you just laughing with your grandfather. You never catch yourself saying ‘I just don’t want this day to end’ on a gray day. But, when it does end, it leaves behind just a tinge of sadness. Wistful, but not melancholic. Like the silence after a good song. Or the loneliness of a railway platform at midnight.
So, here’s to these gray days. Their good humor and simplicity. Their gentle words. Their shy demeanor. Their accepting nature. They might not be your best friend, but they’re always happy to talk if you give them a call.
