For as long as I can remember, I've always hated umbrellas. To me, they seem to get people more wet than the rain sometimes! To quote an old anime series, "How can humanity create a way to go to the moon and not come up with a decent umbrella design?". But there was one time where an umbrella helped me understand the kindness of a friend, even if I first I was too blind to notice it.
In 2005, me and my friends took a trip to Montreal, Canada. It was a very exciting time for me as it was the first time I ever visited Canada. To say it was fun would be the understatement of the century. Like most trips in life, however, it wasn't without it's nuisances.
The whole trip was plagued by rain. Whether it was torrential downpours or a small shower, we couldn't escape it. On the last night of the trip, my friends and I decided to go to this Italian restaurant. The walk was long, it was raining, and I was carrying A LOT of stuff. It was so bad that we had to stop at a gift shop and a buy an umbrella. My best friend bought me an umbrella, one that had Mickey Mouse as a print.
At first, I really, REALLY hated my umbrella. I was very frustrated as the trip to the restaurant wasn't pleasant at all. So much so that when we finally got to the restaurant, I pretty much tossed the umbrella aside and cursed at it. I went to the bathroom to cool off. My best friend, though, was cool and tried to calm me down. After a while, I decided to not let this ruin the final stretch of my trip and just enjoy the evening.
When we got home to New Hampshire (where I was staying at the time), I called my mom to tell her I had arrived safely. I told her about the umbrella incident. Like most mothers do, she made me feel guilty about it. I mean really, REALLY guilty because she made me realize that the umbrella was a symbol of kindness, a gift from a friend that I love dearly. He did it without me asking for it, he paid with money out of his own pocket and I bet the reason he picked the Mickey Mouse umbrella because he knew I loved Disney.
The feeling of guilt was so bad that I had to hang up and go cry. I pretty much insulted a gift from a friend. I talked to him while crying and let him know that what he did was an amazing gesture and to forgive my bratty behavior. He forgave me and told me not to sweat it as he understood that the trip was very annoying.
From that moment on, I kept the umbrella as a reminder that I should always cherish the kindness of a friend, whether it is big or small. Unfortunately, I lost it a few years later in a massive umbrella mix up.
So that's how an umbrella, one of my most hated objects in my life, taught a valuable life lesson.
That's my story and I am sticking to it!
-Pedro
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