They say every cloud has a silver lining. Well, if that's true, then after this summer we should all have enough accumulated cumulonimbus silver to last us for the rest of time.

I think there may -- may -- have been two days in July (not May) when it didn't rain. It's been coming down faster than the stock market. Rain has been falling more frequently than Gerald Ford on a skating rink. It's been so bad that the first day of the week has been officially renamed Rainday.

But don't lose hope. Just as every metaphorical cloud has a metaphorical silver lining, every real cloud also has a metaphorical silver lining (because real silver is far too heavy to float). There's no reason to be depressed just because last month was a constant barrage of precipitation. In fact, here are some reasons you should appreciate all the rain:

* Lots of rain means the potential to see lots of rainbows. One of nature's most simple and most amazing sights is beautiful colors of the rainbow. Have you ever seen the beautiful colors of a sunbow? No, you haven't, because if you try to look directly at the sun, it will burn your eyes out. In that way, the sun is a lot like Britney Spears.

* Rain is cool. Unlike the blazing hot summers we've had in previous years, this year has given us few days during which the air conditioners and fans even need to be turned on. If you worry about spontaneous human

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combustion due to overheating -- which you should -- then you'll be glad to know that cooling showers have been keeping explosions to a minimum.

* Extreme heat and dehydration can be very difficult on your vocal chords, which is why professional singers often drink a lot of water. Frequent sunshine can parch the throat, which is why you never heard Gene Kelly singing in the sun. If he'd tried, the resultant exhaustion would have just put rain in his heart. Really, it's much better the other way around.

* Rain is good for crops. At least, that's what everyone always told me growing up. "The farmers really like rain," they said. Well, if you try to attend the farmers market in the rain, it sure doesn't look like farmers like rain so much. (Then again, not so many people show up when it's sunny either.) Also, if rain is so good for crops, why are my blackberries still green? I fear they'll end up moldy like last year, and I won't be able to eat them. So I guess not being eaten, from a crop point of view, might be good for crops.

* Board games are morally virtuous. At least, I like playing them a lot, and since so many other people seem to define morality as people doing what they like, I figured I'd follow suit. Rain keeps us away from unnecessary distractions like shopping, sporting events or anything else that requires going outside. On a rainy day, the best thing you can do is stay in your house and play board games all day. (This is also true of sunny days as well, but it's less obvious.)

* Rain promotes adventure. Many people drive a lot but never really take the time to try out alternate routes or ride down a river. An old friend of mine drove up from New York last week and, thanks to the rain, got to try out lots of interesting new routes and see multiple rivers and lakes right on the road.

* Most people can't afford luxury home additions in this economy, and swimming pools normally cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Thanks to the endless rain, however, many people have received completely free swimming pools in their basement! Just last week, I was truly surprised to go downstairs and find a wading pool I hadn't even ordered.

To be fair, the floor was pretty dirty anyway, so getting washed probably didn't hurt it.

Seth Brown is the author of "Rhode Island Curiosities," the creator of GodToVerse.com, and lives on Cloud Eight. His column appears weekly in the Transcript and weakly on his Web site, www.RisingPun.com.