The Musings Of A Rainy Day

What else can we think about on a dreary day like today, besides wet leaves and soggy shoes? There has to be something out there that would bring a smile to our faces…or at least something with which we can have a giggle. For example, I had to laugh when I found myself caught in the middle of foot traffic gridlock.

They’re doing all this construction in the Wall Street area, and there are barriers and sidewalk detours everywhere. Now it’s bad enough that we have to decipher the arrows and flags that are found along the path, but when we have to walk behind someone who has one of those giant golf umbrellas as they’re traipsing through the city on a tourist jaunt, it becomes too much to handle. It’s times like that when I wish I had a bullhorn: “Yo!!! Get the hell outta my way, you are NOT in Paris and this ain’t the Champs Elysees!!" I stood on my toes looking in front of me while tilting my head from left to right and I could not, for the life of me see what I was walking towards. It was then that the messenger in front of me hopped off his bike. He looked like he was going to call a police officer over for assistance ("Officer, I'd like to report an assault...on my patience!!") or take matters into his own hands. I can understand the need to stay dry in during these deluges of rain, but do you have to have an umbrella that could cover a small country?

Or how about surveying those hurried and rude business men as they make their way from business lunch to business meeting all while walking around with just a copy of the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal as cover from the downpour. I’ve always wondered why it is that in the dead of winter, they choose to wear only flimsy trench coats and fingerless gloves. Am I supposed to believe that their Men’s Wearhouse or Syms business suits are some sort of super hero outfit that protects them from the elements?

The stylish New York woman is no different. I mean, it’s one thing to proclaim your sense of style to the world, but it’s another thing all together to wear suede open toed shoes during a rain storm. Or how about when they walk through puddles on the balls of their feet. Hilarious! Here's a small piece of advice for you all: Manolo Blahniks are NOT waterproof ladies!!

There are a lot of things about watching people dodge raindrops that I find funny, but sometimes being in the rain is the thing that can simply be fun! Amidst all the damp and gloomy sights of the day, it warmed my heart to hear a tiny voice tell the grown-up that she was waddling behind, in her hot pink galoshes, that she loved the rain. I watched as her tiny hand came from underneath her Dora the Explorer umbrella to catch rain drops. She then looked at her hand and seemed a bit bewildered. “Where did the raindrop go?” I’m sure that was her question.

Gene Kelly may have had the right idea during that iconic scene in 1952’s “Singin’ In The Rain” –- who cares if you get soaked to the skin, in this motion picture that we call life, its about taking the time to enjoy it all –- one splash at a time!