I Loved Working in the Rain             

By John W. Vander Velden

 

I loved working in the rain.  Not the fix the roof in the rain, or chopping corn out of the soybeans in the rain.  But I loved feeding the cows when the rain fell.  I would hear the tap-tap-tap of the raindrops on the hood of my sweatshirt.  Feel the cool dampness that slowly soaked through.  Maybe all the extra sensations made me feel alive.  Who knows?  But that changed when I caught pneumonia, or almost pneumonia.  My lungs rumbled for weeks.  That took the fun out of it.

It was March a long time ago.  Jackie can tell you when.  We had gone to Fort Pulaski, near Savanna, Georgia.  For all points and purposes we had the historical site to ourselves, because it was raining.  Not a downpour, you understand, but a steady unrelenting drizzle.  I didn’t give it much thought.  I loved walking in the rain.  I took my pictures, the main reason I had come, and enjoyed the time with my beloved while we saw this amazing structure.

I paid for it days later after we came home.  And I knew the cause.  Rain, cold, and being stupid…

I used to love working in the rain…twenty-nine years ago.  Or almost.  Now I am more careful.  There is no need to become the “wet dog”…if you get my meaning.  But that caution has caused something to go missing.  There are times when the air is warm that I pull on my hooded sweatshirt and wander for a few moments in the rain.  Not enough to get soaked you understand.  But just long enough to remember.  I loved working in the rain.

(274 Words)  4-12-2017