Umbrellas

This morning, on my way to work, I was one of those idiots you always see on TV chasing their umbrellas down the street.

 

It was pouring and they said wind gusts this morning might hit 60 mph, and there I was, rain boots, bright blue rain slicker, my pocketbook (for whatever dumb reason) on the outside of my coat instead of the inside. All of a sudden, the umbrella I had been using to battle the wind (and had, for the most part, been succeeding) flew out of my hand and down the sidewalk.

 

I was alarmed! What was I going to do? It's like when a kid's ball ends up in the street and you don't want the kid running after it.  What happened if my umbrella went into the street? Would I go for it?

 

But it has been my favorite umbrella for years! Push button open and close (I really hate closing umbrellas, but will do it if I have to).  We've been through so many storms together.  I couldn't lose my umbrella!

 

So I raced after it, down the sidewalk.

 

It toppled and rolled over and over, the wind carrying it further and further.  I touched the edge of it twice and it eluded my grasp.  And then - finally - I grasped hold of it.

 

And didn't let it go all the way to work.  But on the way I started thinking about how the news always tries to show photos of how bad the conditions are and they show people with blown away umbrellas, and I thought about just how dumb I would look chasing after a bumbling black umbrella.

 

Luckily I was west of 8th Ave, so maybe they didn't catch me.  But if you see someone in a bright blue raincoat chasing down a black umbrella and looking really ridiculous... that was probably me.