You Are My Sunshine, My ONLY Sunshine

Even a blind man can tell when he's walking in the sun.

--Rufus featuring Chaka Kahn

Sunshine makes the cold Chicago winters bearable. This past week's mild temperatures gave many false senses of tropical delight. Others know, whether mild or cold, nothing beats the sun. Sun brings life and growth. Some of us need it to maintain a cheerful disposition. Chicagoans can expect 6 clear days, 6 partly cloudy days and a 47% chance of sunshine in February. Weatherbase.com. 47%? I stand a better chance of my roommate's chihuahuas peeing on the bath mat than seeing a ray of sunshine. There was no sunshine in Chicago today. If felt like it too. The phone rang early; the sky was gloomy; the dogs were whiny and with my roommate out of town I had to jump into action. I didn't want to work but with my show opening in less than 6 weeks, I had to write. I also had to work on marketing for Straight & Nappy. Oh clouds please clear and bring back the sun.

I continue to work. Writing, editing, and making phone calls. I trade a few e-mails with Dionna, the producer for WORDS, the showcase Straight & Nappy performed in this past Saturday. Our scene went off great, by the way. I was very pleased by the way we were received and it was a lot of fun. I play with the dogs for a bit more and phone a student from the after school program to tell him he is hired and he needs to show up tomorrow for his first day.

I have to leave this apartment. I haven't been anywhere in two days. Oh, I have to mail my taxes today. I'll do that right now. I head out into the gray afternoon to wait in the long postal line on Clark between Estes and Greenleaf. Shit. Now it's raining. At least my taxes are done. I've been gone too long. I didn't kennel the dogs. I head back home.

I write more. I edit a monologue I have been working on for over five years. I wrote it for a Juneteenth celebration but I have wanted to bring it back. I have rehearsal tonight. Straight & Nappy is not going to perform itself.

I kennel up the dogs and head out again into the damp gray. It is very early evening but it looks later. The train nearly lulls me to sleep but a woman with a driving need to tell the world how Jesus changed her life jostles me awake. Rebecca calls and I am so grateful. She drowns out the woman that felt impelled to dump her sad sack story on me while I was trapped in the moving metal box. I arrive at my stop and come dangerously close to being struck by a taxi driver that wasn't paying attention as he made a left turn. I see two friends across the street. I phone one but he doesn't pick up his cell. He calls me a little later to say that he and our other friend were having a bad day. Other victims of the overcast gloom.

Rebecca, Dre (my director), and I go to a restaurant to discuss the logistics of the show. We don't have a space tonight so we won't be rehearsing (again).

The rest of the evening as yet to be written because I am living it. I wonder if my roommate has a recording of ANNIE. I want to be optimistic about the weather but 47% chance of sunshine ain't that great but just maybe...The sun will come out tomorrow. Great...Guess who just peed on the bath mat?