Ranting About an Umbrella? - A to Z Challenge - The Letter U

Blogging from A to Z Challenge
April 2016
This month I will be participating in the “Blogging from A-Z Challenge” 
What is it?

Blogging every day.  It begins on April First with a topic themed on something with the letter A, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until I finish on April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z.   The theme of the day is the letter scheduled for that day.

Umbrella

An umbrella can bring forth metaphoric thoughts of feeling protected and safe or providing protection and comfort for another.
Sharing one can be an intimate experience.  After all, you must huddle closely together underneath its silky cover to make sure neither of you gets wet.

We must own about ten umbrellas.  I think we have one or two stored in each of our cars.
Then there are five or six more in the large stoneware pickle barrel sitting by the front door.

 Actually, I hardly ever use an umbrella.

For me, they are cumbersome and bothersome.   I find them awkward to maneuver when I am trying to get in and out of the car.  I can't figure out if I should stick the umbrella out of the door, then try to open it? But then while the door is open, the rain is coming in.  Or do I get out of the car and then open the umbrella?  Most times the ones that are supposed to open automatically when you push the button don't open when I push the button.  Then I'm foolishly left out in the rain struggling to get the thing to pop open.

And what do you do with a dripping wet umbrella when you enter a store or are visiting someone's house?

We keep our cars in a garage.  So, there's no need for an umbrella when we go out or when we come home.

I usually decline when someone offers to share theirs. It's my aversion to space invaders, of my space that is.

Sometimes, though, the offerer is aggressive and won't take a "No, thanks, I'm okay" for an answer.
"Come on, don't be silly,  get under!" they'll say as they reach out the umbrella to cover my head then grab my arm to pull me towards them.

I remember the last time this happened.  I was going to lunch with a group of women from the neighborhood.  We are all seniors.  

It was overcast when we left to go to the restaurant.   All of the others had their umbrellas.   I didn't have one for the reasons I listed above.

When we came out of the restaurant, it was pouring.   The umbrellas started popping open.  Red ones, yellow ones, clear ones with flowers and the traditional black Totes.

I started heading for my car.  Claire spotted me.
"Don't you have an umbrella?"  she asked, as I was passing by her.
"No, I'm okay," I said, trying to hurry along.
"Come on, don't be silly,  get under!" she said as she reached out her umbrella to cover me.
She grabbed my arm to pull me towards her.  As we huddled our gray-haired and blond permed hair heads together under the silky cover of her red, yellow and blue striped umbrella we walked arm and arm to the car.

Personally, I would have been quite happy to pull the hood of my red LLBean slicker up over my head and jump in every puddle along the way.

Tell me, be honest now, how do you really feel about umbrellas?