random thoughts – Day 1,493 – (Thursday) – rain again

The work day was pretty much like all the others. Things were done. Progress was made. An afternoon walk was taken, where I discovered it was chilly and raining and my umbrella was at my desk. I am so thoroughly and completely sick of rain. 

Rain on the canal.

A decision was required – keep walking? Turn and go back into the office? I walked, but kept the loop close to work in case the rain got heavier. I also walked fast to get it over with more quickly due to the weather. If it had been sunny like yesterday, there would have been more enjoyment during the walk. 

The rain was neither light and misty nor heavy. Evidence of the impact of raindrops was visible on the sidewalk, and drops could be seen pinging in the canal water and sending out ripples. I got lucky and it mostly stopped.

Along the walk, I passed a thrift shop on Central Street that I was previously unaware of. There was some cute stuff there. The owner said the shop had been open 14 weeks. It might encourage more walking breaks.

The walk to the car after work was in a heavier rain. A wind caught my umbrella and there was a flashback to a rainy, windy morning when I was in grammar school. That day, I was running down our dead-end street, headed for the bus stop around the corner. I was always afraid I would be late and miss the bus.

The wind caught my umbrella and Mary Poppins-ed me right off the ground. The feeling of weightlessness was exhilarating. The loss of control was terrifying. And every time I walked with an umbrella on a rainy and windy day, I hoped a little bit for a repeat of that split second of hang time. Ok, hope, in the present tense is more accurate, because I still kind of hope for that even though at my adult weight and size it’s likely impossible. It would be fun though, and less risky than parachuting, hang gliding, or parasailing.

After the rain.

The rain during the drive home was steady enough to require the wipers, but it wasn't too awful. Well, except for the part that it was raining. The river still looks high and fast, and it is now a habit to analyze it every time I cross over it. 

Later, the sun broke through. Beyond the power lines that criss-cross over the street, the clouds were colored a golden pink. By the time I grabbed the cell phone/camera, it had faded a bit. The light shifts quickly at day's end. Just like the childhood moment of umbrella flight.