caught in the rain.

I had the bright idea this morning to walk to Federal Hill and go to the post office and do some shopping at Cross Street Market. I put Bennet in his jogging stroller and headed out the door, only to realize it was cloudy and slightly drizzly outside. "Oh well," I thought.

I ran into a nice, old lady sitting on her stoop and said, "Do you think I can make it to Federal Hill before the rain?" She said, "Oh, I don't know honey," in a doubting tone. Something in her tone made me think, "I can too make it." So I kept going.

Somewhere right around Ostend Street, as we approached the post office, the rain stopped. "Sweet, I'm in the clear," I thought.

I went to the liquor store to buy champagne to make mimosas tomorrow morning for Andrew and I, I went to Spoons to get a coffee. "This is great," I thought.

As I came out of Spoons, however, the rain returned. There was no drizzle. This was a torrential downpour. "I'll go to Cross Street Market until it's over," I thought.

Shopping in the market, Bennet started to cry and I was reminded that it was about a half hour from his eating time. We were a half hour away from home. I needed to get on the move. We headed out onto Light Street and towards home. It was pouring.

It took slightly less time than normal to get home, probably because I had quite the spring in my step trying to navigate through the rain. Bennet stayed nice and dry thanks to the covering on the jogging stroller. I, on the other hand, resembled a drowned rat by the time we arrived at our house. "Always listen to crazy South Baltimore ladies," I thought.

It was a two mile walk from Cross Street Market home. About a half a mile from the house, the rain finally stopped. As I walked along, soaked, water dripping off of my face, I realized how quiet and calm it was outside. The air smelled fresh and sweet like it always does after a rain storm. There were, of course, no other people out on the sidewalks. So I took a deep breath, slowed down, and enjoyed having a quiet baby outside, surrounded by peace and tranquility in the midst of the big city. I probably won't have many moments that calm again during Bennet's childhood or during our time in Baltimore. It was nice, refreshing even.

"I need to get caught in the rain more often," I thought.