Okay, so I admit this post sounds weird, but there is a great message, so stick around.

I live in Washington State where it rains 9 months of the year here. Most people use umbrellas when it rains, but I don't. I love the rain, the smell, the feel, how I feel like a kid again. My four year old daughter and I had to run to the grocery store and it was pouring down rain. We put the hoods of our sweatshirts and ran to the entryway of the store, laughing the entire time. I was sad because when we got in the store, she asked me if she could have an umbrella for Christmas. I told her I would talk to Santa about it. She also asked me why I don't use an umbrella. I told here that I like the feel of the rain on my face and an umbrella wouldn't let that happen. I told her how I love the smell of the rain. There is a fresh, clean smell to the air that only the rain brings out. When it rains and I inevitably get soaked, it almost feels like a shedding of the old and the bringing in of something new.

So, I will probably never buy an umbrella, I would miss the refreshing feeling and running in the rain, laughing with my daughter.