I was running late this morning (rain pouring, subways down, bus late) so when I arrived at Port Authority, I quickly grabbed a cab for the final leg of my commute.

Once in the cab, the driver noticed that I seemed thrown by the rain. “People are never happy with what the weather is doing,” he remarked.”When it rains they complain about being wet. When it snows they say ‘Oh God’. Even when it’s sunny they complain about the heat.”

He had my attention because he was right. “What we need to do is think about the rain and how it makes drinking water, and feeds the earth, and keeps things alive. We need to be grateful for rain and for things we can’t see… like breath.”

Now he really had my attention.

My Rain Man taxi driver then reminded me that life is a gift, and I should appreciate everything i have; consider the benefit of every kind of weather. He even told me to be grateful for my looks. “You’re pretty cute, you know. That makes people want to talk to you.”

Thank you Rain Man for brightening my day and putting my focus where it belongs — on gratitude.