The Raincoat

One of the coolest things I ever remember my mom doing is letting me wear a raincoat when it wasn't raining outside.  I was probably five or six (it was when we lived in St. Louis).  I was looking through the dark, back half of my older sister's closet-- the portion of the closet that held the soon-to-be-hand-me-downs.  I found a pastel purple raincoat, all shiny and squeaky-sounding with a detachable hood. I got so excited about wearing it because it appeared to be just my size and it looked almost brand new, like some gift straight from the gods.  (When you have as many older siblings as I have, mint condition hand-me-downs are an absolute rarity).  Anyway, I remember running downstairs to find mom and showing her what I found, begging her to let me wear it that day.  She let me try it on--JUST MY SIZE!!! I KNEW IT WOULD BE!!!! AHHHH!  I loved it.  I asked her if I could wear it, to which she responded, "But it's not raining today!...  Next time it rains, you can wear it.  How about that?"  I was devastated.  All the plans.  Thwarted.  Instead of being enveloped in a shiny, scientific, purple miracle coat, running through a field of flowers, flying kites and having butterflies land on my nose, I would have to wait till some other day--a rainy, groggy one that would arrive some time in the future.  Supposedly.  (It almost never rains when you want it to...)  I started to cry a little bit.  I had just gotten so excited about it too quickly.  My mom sort of snickered at me, paused and said, "Baby, I mean you can wear it today... If you really want.  If it means that much to you."

I wore the coat that day and it was so sunny.  I was probably shriveling ants all over the world with the reflection, but I remember it being the best day ever.  I wonder if my mom knows what a big deal that was.  She had retracted her desire to have me look respectable, like all the other kids sucking on their fingers and picking their nose.  I just got to be me for a day, wearing my little rain coat....  I wish I still had that little raincoat....

If I ever have kids, I want to let them pick out their own clothes a large part of the time.  Not always.  But whenever they want to, I want to let them be exactly who they want to be.  Not enough people in this world were raised that way.  The amount of freedoms you give to a person who is in the business of discovering themselves can never be redone.

And now to put the mushiness to rest, here's a video of a giant pigeon.