Sometimes taking a walk in the rain is not what you set out to do.  
Sometimes, however, things just work out to be that and sometimes, that is all that you need.

It’s barely daylight and not really raining when I leave my house, I wear a parka with a hood Just-in-case.  I grab my camera on the way out the door, I always regret not doing that.  It’s easy walking this direction, the big downhill at the start gives a false boost in power.  By the time I’m downtown at the coffee shop that’s closed it is pouring.

I stand in a doorway dripping.  My camera is water “resistant” but this is close to immersion, should I be worried.  I always am, “just for good measure”.  I have a pretty big hood on the front of my lens so at least I can still shoot until I get rain on the glass anyway.  I re-arrange my camera underneath my parka.  This isn’t letting up, walk-and-hide-in-doorways-under-awnings, you can duck the rain…  Eh, keep believing that…

Not able to hear my thoughts as the water bombards the storm drain.  Shooting some photos and my parka hood fell down now the inside is wet when I pull it back up, shoulda’ thought of that…  Camera underneath my coat digs into my hip as I walk, I re-position then loosen my coat – It’s hot underneath anyway.

Walking down the street and feeling the cold soaking wetness of the front of my pants with every step.  Sweating underneath a soaked parka, is it drier on the inside?  Lifting each footstep high so as to not kick up spray again from the waves of water running downhill over my boots.  Those waves are cold and my boots are sodden and squishy already.

Trudging home, surprised a little that this hill I live part way up isn’t as difficult to get up any more.  I still feel the exertion but my legs don’t really burn like they used to and I’m not really out of breath at the top.  This feels good, I can walk up mountains in the rain now too.  This is what being alive feels like.

It doesn’t feel cold, or wet, it feels alive.  It feels like blood coursing through my veins and “nothing can stop me now”.  It feels like deep clean breaths of mountain air and cold, winter rain running down my face and making my glasses useless.  It feels like the start of a wonderful day.