Umbrella vs Rain

There's only two things I remember about him- his green eyes and the words he spoke to me.

I could tell the man was smart from the glimmer in his eye. He was a recovering alcoholic, self proclaimed when we all introduced ourselves. He was new that night, to say that he's not a regular.

Under half lit fluorescents, sitting in a circle, he told us something wonderful.

I don't remember his name. I couldn't pick the man out of a crowd. I spoke to the man only once, but I remember his words to me:

"Before doing anything, first ask yourself this; 'Can I tell everybody or just some people?' The former means you can continue. The latter is a dead stop."

~

I took his words to heart. I made it a hard fast rule to live by.

Two years later, I completely disregarded them. I broke my rule. I fucked up. I hurt a lot of people.

~

Reflection is difficult when you're upset. I didn't know it was possible to break your own heart by breaking others. I was used to bringing the umbrella, but instead I brought the rain.

Check your bases often. Detach and analyze your feelings. Check to see if your morals are in place. Trust me- it's easy to stray.

Before you do anything, ask yourself this:

Can I tell everybody?

Or just some people?

-D.S. McKie