Reader Story: Umbrellas and Love
This beautiful personal story was written by Dirck.
This story was written by a reader come friend by the name of Dirck. Dirck posted it the other day as a comment on my umbrella tale, and I was so moved by it that I asked Dirck for permission to publish it, and he kindly agreed. I thank Dirck for pouring his heart into his moving comment. I pray for healing for all of us. Life makes things right, and may it happen sooner rather than later.
By Dirck.
So there is this lovely lady that I have had the great fortune to walk with for almost a quarter of a century. But then the strange cold viral rain started. I heard a few voices say that a small shop on a side road sold I-tin transparent rain coats that worked pretty well. I got one. It fit. Back out on the road that beautiful lady's attention was drawn with most others, to heed brilliant flashing signs directing all to well lit stores with Safe and Effective Super Umbrellas. It was said that everyone would stay dry once enough of the umbrellas were carried. She got one early.
The lines for those grew and grew. The first to get them, the lovely lady among them, proudly wore crests of honor. The lines grew even longer, and though some folks with good eyesight were seeing leaks in the new umbrellas and began to warn others, the demand for umbrellas still increased. Soon it seemed the brilliant Safe and Effective signs were everywhere, and other shops carrying alternatives were whitewashed or closed altogether as experts clearly stated that the only true protection was from the Super Umbrellas. This clearly troubled those with good eyesight because they could now easily see the tatters of some umbrellas on the street.
More and more and more brilliant signs were posted by the government on behalf of the people and the science to get the umbrellas immediately and to separate themselves from anyone so foolish as not to believe that umbrellas work. Those who spoke against this very obvious truth, including those with I-tin rain coats were understandably progressively ostracized and of course sometimes had to be ridiculed for the public good.
There continued a pernicious tendency for the I-tin types to hoist banners saying the umbrellas weren't at all as advertised, but those were quickly dispensed with, with general ovation from the crowd. This was no time indeed for such miscreant activities. The crowd progressively separated into the good umbrella holders and the odd I-tin ducks. By that time it began being clear even to the umbrella crowd that they weren't holding up very well. A very few even decided to furtively find the few remaining sources of I-tin raincoats. But most enjoyed the warmth of the large crowd, and the clarity of the brilliant Safe and Effective signs, even as some in the crowd got quite wet and fell, chilled to the bone, to the ground, and had to be carried away.
But new brilliant signs pointed out that if only everyone would carry umbrellas, the crowd would be safe and eventually the rain would mostly stop and some happy normalcy would return. And this goodness only required that the I-tin types stop being so self absorbed. Understandably, anger towards the irreverent I-tin types grew. And yes those types did seem to really believe for some strange reason or another that they were doing the right thing. Arguments within families grew bitter. Ties were destroyed. And the main crowd clearly had to acknowledge that the umbrellas were breaking down. But new brilliant signs heralded new repair booster kits for the umbrellas. Problem solved!
Returning back to the lovely lady I referred to earlier, it seems I will most likely will never have the fortune to walk with her again. I went for the I-tin, and she, obviously more sensibly went (with her good and successful family) with the Super Umbrellas. We maintained as one despite the difference in crowd allegiance for some time, but the embrace succumbed.
Mine is just a small small face in this very cold and rainy world. Even so, my tears are visible, and my efforts to hold them back are failing. I have lost a fortune, and worse, am unable to even offer any protection to that lovely lady should her umbrella, even just now fortified with a brand new booster, fail.
And looking about, I am sided by few, but at least they see the rain and the storm and the crowds as I do. But as for me this hurts, very very deeply. And as this awful situation continues, I know my hurt is completely, utterly trivial compared to what is and will progressively be suffered by parents and children as contortions of society, mind and spirit relentlessly continue. This is not the best of times.
Sorry to hear that Dirck, I feel your tears. I'm in a rift with most of my friends and family, standing alone in the rain while I see others slowly walking with their umbrellas away from me.
Poignant and moving.
My raincoat has kept me warm and dry throughout the 62 years of my life with a few patches applied here and there. I often wish I could give it to the people I love as I see them getting drenched and freezing in the rain but they insist they're doing fine. In the meantime, I'm looking for a boat that we can all use to keep us all from drowning and to row somewhere where there's sunny weather. I just hope I can convince them to join me and my friends in our raincoats.