Working in the Rain

Working in the rain - now there's a blog post title likely to throw you off right from the start, isn't it? In the city, when I am on my way to or from work, I try to avoid rain. I hide under bus shelters, or if walking, under bridges or in building lobbies. The feeling of wet work clothes is like a sentence - you are hereby condemned to spend two hours in stiff, uncomfortable clothing that also happens to be wet!

But at the cottage, I'll happily work or play outside in just about any weather. I'm not sure why I have such a compartmentalization. But varied weather is not only a perfectly natural thing we have come to view as an opponent, it is quite beautiful. What artist can mimic the rain? There are few paintings that can equal the dappling of ripples on the water, poems whose eloquence outspeaks the thunder, or musicians who can improve on the pitter patter on the ground.

This afternoon, my brother in law hauled logs out of a friend's woodlot in the rain. The dampness pressed through my clothes, and my knees began to ache. But in no way did I mind. There's plenty of time to be dry.