SINGING IN THE RAIN

SATURDAY, May 6

Another wet, cold Spring morning here on the Coast. I headed off early for my second Weight Watchers meeting across town. Aside from having the drag myself out of bed so early and the fairly long bus ride it's interesting to explore that particular area with it's posh shops and different kinds of people than we have in the East End where I live.

This morning as I trudged along feeling somewhat miserable because of the weather, I hear the sound of singing. A middle-age man was walking toward me singing, in the most resonant, clear tenor, an operatic aria (in Italian). His voice was so strong and beautiful that people actually came to their shop doors to look out and see who was providing the lovely rainy-day concert. I could still hear his voice as he continued on his way down the street, singing at full volumn as if he was performing on stage. An usual and beautiful touch on this particular gloomy Saturday morning. Undoubtedly, as it did for me, it brought smiles to people's faces to hear him sing.

My mood lifted even more when I went for my weigh-in and found I'd lost all but half a pound of what I'd aimed for this week. (And if I hadn't over-imbibed on all that wine I'd likely have met my goal.) So it made the trek across town in the rain all the more worthwhile.

Afterwards I went back to my neighbourhood, the Drive, and stopped at my favorite Italian coffee shop for lunch. (They always play Italian music there so the early morning opera concert had set the tone for the rest of the morning.) If I'd had the sense to wear proper shoes this morning instead of sandals, so my feet would have kept warmer, I possible would have been singing myself as I wended my way home with my groceries. But just then the rain (which had ceased for awhile) turned into a deluge soaking me through despite my umbrella so I was in no mood for singing as I walked home. I did buy a big bouquet of daffodils though, just to remind myself that it actually IS springtime!

So now, in the quiet warmth of my apartment, I'm listening to Saturday afternoon at the opera.
A nice way to relax and put me in the mood for singing along out of the rain!