Neil Sedaka

In an ongoing effort to lose a couple pounds, my svelte wife and I have been walking most days of the week with the FREE dog. The dog is key. She LOVES the walk but more importantly without her I would be sitting on a park bench somewhere. We walk a trail, down and back, and we trade off holding the leash. I get to hold it on the return trip. Her pulling me down the trail is the only thing that gets me back to the car.
This trail is a repurposed railroad bed. It goes through some thick woods and comes out at a park on one end. Our walk is about 3 miles, there and back.

Last evening when we left the house it had just started to rain. A soft, summer, sultry rain. So we brought slickers.
Well about ¼ of the way into the trail, the sky darkened. The trail began to look ominous and the heavens opened up.
I immediately enter ‘Rainman’ mode.
Mild panic sets in.
That was when the lightening started.

My wife … walks on, happily “What’s a little rain”, she says. … and I am pretty sure she is humming…

Oo, I hear laughter in the rain
Walking hand in hand with the one I love
Oo, how I love the rainy days
And the happy way I feel inside

My panic level rising, walking briskly, head down, repeating,
“Not supposed to be outside in the lightening. Not supposed to be outside in the lighting.”

My sweet wife, who knows me all too well, is smiling and reaches out to take my arm to comfort me. I quickly pull back… oooo no no no, don’t wanna make any connections – current will travel, better if we are not connected, no touching.

Clearly …we survived. We finished our walk too! (my courageous wife is nothing if not driven)
Soaking wet and muddy, 45 minutes later we get back into the car.
And of course, what do dogs do when wet.

The FREE dog had a good shake.

Oo, I hear laughter in the rain
Walking hand in hand with the one I love
Oo, how I love the rainy days
And the happy way I feel inside