As I zipped up my raincoat out about on Pup’s walk tonight, I looked down at his big, brown eyes and nodded my head in agreement.
Yes, I think it’s going to rain again today.
It’s amazing what can change in a matter of minutes.
A sunny sky.
Grey clouds moving in.
The heavens opening up with tears.
The sun peeking out again.
It’s a good reminder, isn’t it? Sun, rain, sun again.
As my father would always say when I was terrified, overwhelmed or otherwise disappointed, “Jamie, the sun will rise tomorrow.”
And, so far, he’s batting a thousand.
So is the weather here on Martha’s Vienyard — since we arrived I think it has rained every single day.
In general I hate to be cold AND wet. But, tonight, under a ghostly sky, I found a quiet little moment hanging out under a canopy of a protection — known as a tree to me and a poop spot to Pup.
Sometimes it’s hard for me to remember what I loved first in life— a dog or a basketball. Both got me through my adolescence with confidence intact. Tonight, I remembered what I love so much about dogs — they still smile and wag their tails in the rain.
As I stood under that tree, waiting for Pup to poop, I marveled at the calmness, the quiet, the echo of silence in the streets. And, then, for the first time in a week of stormy weather I saw something beautiful in these dark clouds hovering above — a moment to be still.
As we walked home with rain pelting our heads, I couldn’t help but sing that old Randy Newman song: I think it’s gonna rain today.
But, this time, I was okay with it.
In fact, you could almost say …I loved it.
Broken windows and empty hallways
A pale dead moon in the sky streaked with gray
Human kindness is overflowing
And I think it’s going to rain today
Scarecrows dressed in the latest styles
With frozen smiles to chase love away
Human kindness is overflowing
And I think it’s going to rain today
Lonely, lonely
Tin can at my feet
Think I’ll kick it down the street
That’s the way to treat a friend
Bright before me the signs implore me
To help the needy and show them the way
Human kindness is overflowing
And I think it’s going to rain today
For your listening pleasure, here’s the Randy Newman classic:
