On being un-presentable, or, how I was caught in the rain

It rained yesterday.

I sensed that it was raining near the end of my Monday work day, and I reflected mildly on the fact that I'd forgotten my umbrella. I figured I'd manage. As has been said by many wiser than myself, I'm not made of sugar, so I wouldn't melt.



I ventured to the doors of my office and the forecast was grim: it truly was raining, and I even more truly had no umbrella. I made sure my coat was buttoned and I held my bag so that my Important Items (i.e. my phone and my recorder) would stay somewhat dry.

Then I took off into the drizzle, passing people who were hurrying their way along the streets in hopes that they'd have some semblance of dryness when they reached their destinations.

Since I keep a small umbrella in my bag on a daily basis (except this day, apparently), I haven't had the experience of being rained upon for a fairly long time. It really was strange to walk toward my car and know that I'd be rather wet at the end of my short journey.

It was also exhilarating.

You see, it's not every day that someone who's usually supposed to be fairly presentable is able to walk down the street and look just as un-presentable as everyone else on the sidewalk. My shoes were wet, my pants were wet, my hair was gradually getting wetter by the minute, and my coat was absorbing water rapidly.

There was nothing I could do about it, and I loved it.

I actually started laughing to myself a little, and anyone who happened to noticed me would have seen a big smile on my face as I trudged through the puddles. I sang a few lines of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" to myself and delighted in this situation completely out of my control. 

Maybe this was because it was a Monday, and I had to let loose somehow. Maybe it was just so uncontrollably, simultaneously, funny and profound that everyone else walking along the streets was in the exact same state of glorious heaven-imposed disarray. (Whether they thought it was "glorious" was up to them, though.)

I wasn't absolutely drenched by the end of my walk, but I was decently damp, and I have to admit, a little sad at its conclusion.

I didn't jump in any puddles like Gene Kelly. But I did have a huge amount of fun. Not a bad way to end a Monday.

And, for your personal enjoyment...