I Gave In

Iconic American man-hero and NRA boytoy, John Wayne, once said, "A man's gotta have a code, a creed to live by." And he was right. What would man be if he did not possess the fortitude and resilience that stubbornness provides? If we caved to every others' wants and dreams, we would be no better than mere shafts of wheat that bend in the breeze. You might say 'tis better to be the oak; unwavering, solid, with deep, strong roots and slightly wrinkly bark.

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Just like John Wayne, one thing I pride myself on is sticking to my morals and what I believe. For example, I believe that cats are the devil in animal form, pants should only be tucked into your socks when hiking in the remote backcountry, and pancakes are best eaten with slices of cheese to squeegee up leftover syrup.

I also believe that no rain is strong enough to warrant the purchase of an umbrella. First of all, it's just water, and rain jackets are wonderful things. Secondly, if it is indeed raining devils and dogs, then anyone expecting you to be dry after braving the deluge probably tucks their pants into their socks anyway.

Even after beginning this chapter of my life in rainy Bogota, Colombia, I felt it best to stick to my beliefs: I took a picture of a dog instead of a cat and I have yet to tuck my pants into my socks. But while cheese isn't served with pancakes here, you can bank on the fact that I was fending off the illogical desire to purchase an umbrella.

But it is with a sad and heavy heart that I inform you, undoubtedly nonexistent reader, that today was the day I threw my beliefs in the same sad, dirty canal I walk across every day to get to school. This is because I gave in, up, and out and did the unthinkable. I bought an umbrella. We had been walking through the neighborhood on a characteristically rainy day, and in one small moment of weakness I dropped a hefty 15,000* pesos for a collapsable polyester shield. I can only hope that its ability to block rain is matched by its ability to safeguard me from the disappointed head shaking of John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Liam Neeson from high on Man Rushmore.

Harry can't believe I failed him, either.

Shamefully, I have become like the weak wheat. No more proudly shaking off my rain jacket in the teachers lounge and sprinkling my colleagues with the morning dew. No more gallantly hobbling across the soccer field in the rain to class only to show up looking like Harry Potter during the Triwizard tournament. No, today was the day Aragorn was dreading when he said, "There will come a day when the courage of men fails." Because that day was today. I now walk through the streets of Bogota bearing my blue-striped albatross over my head, a pallbearer for the funeral of my manhood.

On the other hand, though I might not be that strong oak, you can bet your ass that if I stood under one I'd be dry. I guess I'll put up with this thing for now.

J.

Frequent sun/rain mixes lead to many of these light refractions.
If only my umbrella could shield me from them, too...

Spanish word of the day: Paraguas - you guessed it, it means umbrella.

Song in my head: Let the Rain Fall Down by Hilary Duff. If you know it, then you know why I didn't post a link to it. If you don't know it, you're probably a better human being for it.

*15,000 pesos is less than 6 dollars.