the rain

I am drawn to begin this post by discussing the weather - which of course is an awfully stiff-upper-lip-British way of beginning a conversation. Not that this is a conversation. Although others might argue that my achievement of over three years of continuous blogging might also resemble three years of successful conversations with the self; musings to oneself (and often quite possibly about oneself).
Regardless, conversation, musings, or simply blogging - whichever terminology you use, I am still drawn to writing about the start of the day, which coincidentally involves the weather. (I am thoroughly British afterall).

After braving the stormy rain this morning for approximately thirty seconds, armed with my polka-dot umbrella and denim jacket, the trousers were already stuck to my legs and my socks soaking wet, so I strategically retraced my footsteps back to my front door and into my house. No, I didn't decide to take the day off University - I have paid close to £100 tuition fees just for today, so no, not a chance of me skipping class just because of the weather gods and their clear attempts to entice me back home and back into bed. So I changed into my gym trousers and wellington boots and re-began my walk across town to University armed with a change of clothes and shoes in my bag. I arrived at Uni soaked in rain still, but at least I was forward thinking and could change my clothes into something a little more appropriate and dry. You know you're in for a great day when you have to battle the elements before the day has even begun.

I love watching the way people react to mornings like this - it's not just a bit of rain, it's a torrential downpour. And more than that, it's a change of plan and routine - it's a variant of our day beyond our control. Being a people-watcher and a person interested in people, I watch how they arrive, their presentation, their acknowledgement, their sense of calmness or rush, and the way that they greet others. Perhaps this is just a lesson never to be fooled or misled by my silence; I do like to take note and to notice things. It's probably the psychologist in me. But this morning I was so very aware of the difference in my own arrival and in the arrival of others and it was bizarre, that a simple thing such as rain would cause such a change in us all.