Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
By: Peggy Willms
(3 min. read)
I had no idea B.J. Thomas was the first to sing the song, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, or that Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote the song. And I was completely unaware it was written for the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sunshine Kid. The only version I knew was the Dionne Warwick version.
What I do know is that about an hour ago, those raindrops WERE falling on my head.
As active as I was growing up, I don’t remember frolicking around in the rain or stomping through mud puddles. There are no memories of me scampering into the house wearing sloppy galoshes. Sure, I built forts and played sports, but I do not remember experiencing the freedom of getting messy in nature. Kind of sad.
Raindrops pelting down in Southwest Florida this time of year isn’t common. This season, we have had cooler temperatures and a few bouts of Mother Nature’s tears. My yard, trees, and plants are sure happy.
This morning, as it poured, I thought, WTH. It wasn’t breezy. It wasn’t chilly. So let’s go. My bedridden mohawk and I tiptoed onto the back lawn just about daybreak. You must be smart out there…snakes, gators, turtles, and bunnies.
The pelting drops danced off my face just as they did on the lake behind my house. They slid down the thistles of the blooms on my bottle brush tree. Each drop held on for dear life as they fell off blades of grass—like flailing down the Tower of Terror at Disneyland.
The lyrics ran through my head. Freedom. The song is about freedom. And that is precisely what I felt. Once I got past the initial shock of the chilly, pelting moisture, I quickly surrendered and suppressed my childish shouts, “What in the name of Jesus are you doing out there?” Those were the words of my late grandmother screeching at me from the porch. She passed away in 2013, but trust me, she was chirping at me this morning as I jumped up and down taunting her. She would have followed with, “You are going to catch pneumonia. Now get in here.”
For a few minutes, I felt five again, swirling and twirling in my yellow-striped sundress with my head leaning back as if I were Rachel McAdams in the movie Notebook. (As a side note, I was approached to be her fitness trainer for the movie The Lucky Ones, which was filmed in Grand Junction, CO. The plan fell through.).
I have always loved the water. When I was 15, I received my water safety instructor (WSI) certification and became a lifeguard. And though we conducted our in-water test with waters reading 57 degrees, I loved it. My body has always craved the water—the beach. My toes belong in the sand, and my ears long for the melodic chime of the waves crashing the shore. Perhaps, in another lifetime, I was a mermaid.
It was time to take this saturated little girl into the shower and start the coffee, especially since my neighbors were soon to rise.
As the experience ended, so did the dream. I woke to a stiff neck and realized the little girl inside me wants to play more. I double-checked my face and hair—they were dry. While still in bed, I thought, the next rainy morning I must truly allow the raindrops to fall on my head. I promise you, I will.
I had to share the lyrics. Though the song still feels a bit off for a wild-west film.
Raindrops are falling on my head
And just like the guy whose feet are too big for his bed
Nothing seems to fit
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep falling
So I just did me some talking to the sun
And I said I didn’t like the way he got things done
He’s sleeping on the job
Those raindrops are falling on my head, they keep fallin’
But there’s one thing I know
The blues they send to meet me
Won’t defeat me
It won’t be long ’till happiness steps up to greet me
Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying’s not for me
‘Cause, I’m never gonna stop the rain by complaining
Because I’m free
Nothing’s worrying me
It won’t be long ’till happiness steps up to greet me
Raindrops keep falling on my head
But that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turning red
Crying’s not for me, ’cause,
I’m never gonna stop the rain by complaining
Because I’m free
Nothing’s worrying me
Peggy Willms
All Things Wellness, LLC
peggy@allthingswellness.com
The information provided is the opinion of the author. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice: diagnosis or treatment. The author, the business, All Things Wellness, LLC, and its owner Peggy Willms, are not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this article or website. We assume no responsibility for tangible and intangible damages such as physical harm caused by using a product, loss of profits or loss of data, and defamatory comments. This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases.
