One of my favorite memories will always be of my novio and me walking across a boardwalk at SeaWorld in the rain singing Journey while my sister peers back at us from under her umbrella as if we have finally cracked.
That’s right – I got caught out in the rain and had no choice but to like it. So we had fun!
My amazingly energetic sister had a full day planned for us at SeaWorld when we visited her back in June. As in, a full TWELVE HOURS of shows to watch, dolphins to feed, penguins to meet, sting rays to pet, rides to ride and Shamus to spray us with their massive tails. It was a tight schedule, not helped by our tardiness from staying with friends 40 minutes away and rolling out of bed late.
We had already watched, fed, met, pet, and ridden through to the afternoon when the rain moved it. (We later learned that Florida, similar to Hawaii or other island nations, generally gets rain showers in the afternoon.) This day it poured. We watched a show from under the awning of the theatre (the trainers and animals are already wet – they perform as long as there isn’t lightning!) and by the end the water was easily 7 inches deep at the floor of the stands. Lots. Of. Rain.
But Shamu started soon and he was the last thing on our list of things to do! It was either wait longer and possibly miss the show or suck it up, take our shoes off and go for it. Oh, except for Martha – she had an umbrella big enough for one. (To her credit, she tried to share… but umbrellas are difficult!)
Halfway down the boardwalk Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” comes on over the speakers. And I’ll be darned if I didn’t take a dance break right there with dramatic arm movements, air guitar and screaming/singing noises. Novio even joined in, and we had a nice little moment in the rain.
Lesson learned: It’s definitely worth it to spend some time in the rain if you’re with the right people. And if you take your shoes off.