"Choose to be an Optimist, it Feels Better."

Rain and Cincinnati are two things that go together more often than not. Two other things that tend to go together are life and unexpected circumstances.

This evening, upon hearing thunder, I realized I should take the dog for a walk before it began to rain. This is not the first time I've had this happen, and in the past it has ended in me being very wet. This time was no exception. However, this time I was prepared; I actually brought an umbrella. It started drizzling when I was a street away from my house, but I was unperturbed. I opened my umbrella and casually started walking home at a brisk pace so the dog wouldn't get too upset. (He doesn't like being wet.) It was then that the heavens opened up and we were definitely getting wet- sorry dog. 

The problem was, I would have run home for the sake of the wet puppy, but he has a slightly injured leg and I didn't think running on it would be the best thing for him. I continued walking at a brisk pace, trying to cover at least part of the dog with my umbrella while still staying under it myself. Halfway back down the street I gave it up, as I was getting pretty wet already. I abandoned the umbrella and held it over the dog instead, soaking my sweatshirt. This must have looked pretty ridiculous to the few people that drove past: girl walking down street getting drenched in the rain while trying to keep her dog dry. Not that there was much hope. He was pretty wet too. But I was trying to make him less miserable so he'd be more inclined to walk the street-length home. By the time we made it home, I was as wet as if I had just taken a dip in a pool fully clothed.

Now, one has two choices in a situation like this. The first choice is to become annoyed, moody, and mopey, which is basically what my dog did. You can grumble as you struggle to get your arm out of the sweatshirt that's suctioned itself to you and slam the door of the clothes dryer before stomping back upstairs. Or, you can embrace the fact that you are very wet and it is beautifully raining outside and there's no use being bitter. 

The road I chose to take this time was the second one. I dropped the dog off inside, drying him off a bit and leaving the towel for him to lay on. I did strip off my sweatshirt, (struggling to get it off my arm which it had suctioned itself to) but instead of drying myself off, I took off my shoes and ran back outside. I spent about fifteen minutes sitting in the rain, splashing in puddles, and probably concerning the neighbors. 

Running through the rain is something I haven't done in a long time. It's so weird, and kind of magical. No one else is outside and you feel like you have the whole world to yourself. The clouds make the sky feel low and you just sit and watch it rain while huge drops fall on your back. Or you can sing and run around because, heck, no one else is around. 

I'm not saying this is how I handle life all the time. Days pass where all I want to be is grumpy and unpleasant and on those days unexpected circumstances aren't welcomed when they come. However, I think if you don't live life like this at least some of the time it gets easier and easier to forget the beauty of being alive. 

Plus, it makes throwing on a pair of warm pajamas that much more satisfying. And then I sit down on the couch and watch Netflix and eat ice-cream and blog about hanging around in the rain because I'm a writer and that's what I do. 

As Winston Churchill once said, "A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." 

Or, to pull from The Fault in Our Stars, after Isaac has gone blind and Augustus runs into the room yelling "I have wonderful news!... You are going to live a good and long life filled with great and terrible moments that you cannot even imagine yet!"

Or, for my last quote as Dalai Lama said, "Choose to be an optimist, it feels better." 

Lisa