Walking in the rain

 So here came Debby howling up the coast doing her best to flood everything and pushing the southeast to sink into the ocean.  The warnings have been pretty dire.  You know... lightning strikes, tornado warnings, historic flooding, very high winds, don't drive anywhere, stock up on food, flashlights and batteries, etc., etc.  So, here I was facing the possibility of being under house arrest for several days worrying about our garage getting flooded, maybe losing power and with that the loss of internet and TV, trying to get used to reading a book with a flashlight on.  

This morning as the storm came rolling in and the thunder shook the house one thing I knew I had to do was get Cosmo out for a mandatory pee and poop exercise.  While Cosmo loves chasing a ball out into the ocean, she's not a fan of walking in intense, blinding rain and who can blame her.  But, we struggled through with successful outputs and came home completely drenched.

Now what?  Having finished my cup of coffee and worked my way through Wordle and other similar distractions, I asked myself are you just going to sit for the rest of the day and do nothing?? I looked outside at the howling bleakness and decided to go for a walk!  I had already changed all my sopping wet clothes and figured a new outfit was ready for a dousing.  I put on headphones to give this adventure a nice soundtrack, put on my already soaked raincoat, propped up the umbrella and hit the streets.

After a few blocks of wading through deep puddles casually taking in the lightning, the rumbling thunder, high winds and cascading rain, I thought to myself did I really want to sign up to be a prime example of the Darwin theory?? Was this a sane idea or something really stupid?  It also occurred to me that I might just as well have worn a swimsuit.  Swim fins might have been helpful too.  At times the rain was so intense that as I looked down the block I couldn't see anything except...water.  Lots of water! And, oh yes, I did have to pay attention to all the debris like tree limbs so that I wouldn't accidentally dive into the pools of water below me.  At times the wind was so strong that as I dearly held on to my umbrella I almost became airborne in those moments when the wind swooped in.

But, then something wonderful happened.  I stopped focusing on the problems at hand and embraced the moment.  By this time, I didn't care how wet I was.  I mean, it's not like I was on my way for a visit with royalty where my appearance had to meet certain requirements or achieve a certain level of civility. I even lowered my umbrella and let it all sink in.  The music I was listening to certainly contributed to my newly found calm, but whatever the cause I realized I was smiling.  I stopped dodging deep pools of water and stopped worrying about my phone which at least I had put in a ziplock bag before leaving the house.  The temperature was warm, the wind felt invigorating and I was seizing the day.

At some point I randomly recalled a moment from more than a half century ago when old time entertainer Gene Kelly did a number called "Singing in the Rain," an iconic video of a guy at first careful about going outside in a pouring rain, but then putting his umbrella down and dancing and singing his way down the street now completely soaked...but with huge smiles on his face.

Carpe friggin' diem folks!