The rainy season is one welcomed with mixed feelings, on one hand, it rids the streets of dust and waters plants in the gardens, resulting in a beautiful jungle-like ambience, on the flipside, it fills our roads with mud, results to more traffic on our roads and drenches anyone in its path. Personally, I love the rainy season, there’s no better reason to cancel plans with friends and spend the whole day indoors, watching a nice movie, with a blanket and some hot cocoa.
When I have to go out, I must remember to carry my umbrella. It’s small enough to fit into my rucksack, and once opened it spread out wide to cover me from the rain. Being in a populated area on a rainy day can be chaotic, everyone trying to navigate in the rain, some with big umbrellas, others with weak ones that get tipped over by the wind, and others still with no umbrellas eying you with pitiful eyes hoping you’ll ask them to join you.
Here are a few rules we could all put into consideration the next time we’re out in the rain with our umbrellas.
Get the right fit
With a diverse and versatile market, it’s easy to get a nice yet small umbrella. There are those ones that can fold up to fit into your bag or handbag, get them. Golf umbrellas are not the most ideal as they take too much space both opened and closed. Especially if you’re an eccentric walker who goes swishing your arms front and back.
Don’t use an umbrella in a covered pavement
Most pavements are covered at the top meaning they offer somewhat of a refuge from the rain. People without umbrellas will most likely run to these paveways to protect themselves against the downpour. If you have an umbrella, there is no need for you to take up space with people who don’t have umbrellas. Use the open part of the road. Also, you might end up poking somebody in the eye.
Do not phone and umbrella
This one sounds almost moronic, but once you think about it, it has a sense to it. Rain brings a lot of chaos and confusion on our roads. For drivers, the view is not as clear as usual. When you use a phone under your umbrella, you are putting yourself at a major risk as most of your view is obstructed. Even in none cataclysmic cases, there’s no need to keep bumping into other people walking by.
Close your umbrella before entering a building
Yes, you do not want to get rained on, none of us does. But when you start entering the building with open umbrellas, you’ve crossed the line. The best way to go around this it is to get into the building while suspending the umbrella out, then close it and continue with your business. Even if you’re dropping something off at the reception and leaving, or you’re just staying a few seconds then head out, it’s still rude to have an umbrella open in a building.
Let the water drip before proceeding
Again, while getting into a building, close the umbrella and pat it a few times to clear the umbrella from excess water. While this may take a moment, it’s better than to walk around with an umbrella dripping all around the floor. Most buildings have a designated area to let umbrellas dry off.
When entering a public vehicle, put the umbrella under your seat and not on the empty seat next to you. No one wants to sit in a drenched seat.
These guidelines should help you safely navigate busy streets on a rainy day. I could also advise you to share your umbrella space with a person without an umbrella, but that’s a personal decision and I for one love my personal space.
Guys wondering how to dress during this period, check out Wardrobe Styling Tips For Men During The Rainy Season
