It’s raining a lot in California this year (a break from a decade of drought), so I’ve had to get re-acquainted with my rain gear and my tolerance for getting wet. Because I’ve lived in many corners of the US (and known a lot of humans), I’ve seen various approaches and levels of rain-tolerance. It occurs to me that how we are with rain may be how we are with life.
So it’s time for a pop quiz: which type of “rain man” are you? (no: not the 1988 Dustin Hoffman/Tom Cruise classic movie Rain Man) and what does it tell you about yourself? See below:
What Rain Man (Personality) Type Are You?
Type 1: East Coast Elite — given a choice, you prefer an umbrella and an overcoat (or something along those lines) as you dash for the subway — this type looks good in every situation, even while they shy away from exposure.
Type 2: Northwest No Problem — no umbrellas for you, unless the occasion’s formal your daily garb is Gore-tex (does anybody still call it that?) jacket and rain boots, rain pants for bike-riding (probably applies to Maine and Vermont as well) — this type is prepared for whatever life may hurl at them, but doesn’t let life stop them from, well, life.
Type 3: Southwest Avoidant — the reason you live in the Sun Belt is to avoid rain (even more than you avoided the plague). You don’t own an umbrella or any rain garb—that’s what cars are for—but even so, you tend to stay home and hope for the right kind of climate change— this type is just fine with life as long as it does exactly what they want and they can adjust the thermostat.
Type 4: Chicago Commando — rain is a trivial form of weather and a sure sign of Spring, so you also don’t own or employ rain garb—that’s what coffee shops and bars are for—and love walking bare-headed in the rain, no matter how much it’s pouring (probably applies to Buffalo and all other great lakes cities)— this type eats discomfort for lunch and wonders, what else you got?
