Walking in the Rain

Over the months I've been retired, Lucy and I have established a regular walking routine, usually covering from three to four miles daily. Of course, that was all blown up recently, first by spring break in Buffalo, and then by my temporary return to teaching. But today, the first Saturday of my working month, I was determined to resume our outings despite gray skies and predicted rain. 

Lucy had a grooming appointment this morning, and we had baseball tickets for a 4 o'clock game, so the window of opportunity was slim. We set out at about 1:30; the air was cool and damp, and it felt good to be doing something that had felt stale just a couple of weeks ago. 

About a mile from home, a steady rain began. We paused for a moment or two under a young sycamore, sheltered by its canopy, but soon enough the drops filtered down and we started getting wet. There was no way out but through, but as we stepped into the storm, I realized that I didn't care.