Under my umbrella...(ella ella eh eh)

I have recently become a fan of umbrellas. I don’t have one but I will always stop to look at them in store front windows or in the hands of people walking by. I could count the number of times I’ve used an umbrella on one hand actually. It always seemed easier to use a hood or rain jacket, why bring in reinforcements when I can shield myself from the rain? And why take the chance of becoming a poor unfortunate soul whose umbrella has been blown inside out from the wind? They have always seemed rather unnecessary. They were for those girls who feared a drop of rain touching their perfectly coifed hair. That was not me at all. Nope, no umbrella for me.

Since I moved to Portland, I am seeing umbrellas everywhere. I’m fascinated by pictures with umbrellas in them. I’m hearing songs about umbrellas. The song I want played at my wedding someday is called “umbrellas” even though it never even mentions umbrellas. What once seemed like a silly accessory has now become fascinating and comforting.

As overplayed as Rhianna’s song “umbrella” is, I still like it. I’m a little behind the times as well. I only heard it for the first time about a month ago. When I came back from Malawi, it seemed everyone was busting out with, “you can stand under my umbr-ella, ella ell-eh eh…ella ella…aye aye”. I had no idea what had gotten into everyone, was this some inside joke? Everyone was saying it, so it was just as strange that I didn’t actually hear the song until months later, and then I was struck with a big, OH…..I get it now, “ella ella eh eh..” I was all over it and jumped on that bandwagon.


In my ponderings lately, I’ve come to appreciate the symbolism of an umbrella. An umbrella protects and covers. Isn’t that we all want, someone or something to protect and cover us from the storms of life? I have this print I got from Ikea, it’s so sweet and I just love it. It’s a couple walking through the storm together and another of a man holding an umbrella for his dog. It’s just precious.


Storms are inevitable and it’s okay to bring in reinforcements. We’re not meant to be able to make it on our own. Sometimes we invite others to stand under our umbrella, and sometimes we are called under another’s umbrella. And no matter how bad it gets, it’s not so bad as long as you have someone right there with you under an “umbr-ella ella eh eh…”

“When the sun shines, we’ll shine together

Told you I'll be here forever

Said I'll always be a friend

Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end

Now that it's raining more than ever

Know that we'll still have each other

You can stand under my umbrella.”