Rainy Thoughts

I had to drive through torrential rain on Saturday morning

to rescue my bike rider man. He was over 20 miles from the house.

It was a doozy of a storm, my windows steamed up, I had the headlights

and the windshield wipers on full blast. I was driving 42 MPH in a 60 MPH

zone. I hydroplaned twice. At one point, I slowed to 38 MPH. I had my new

mini phone on the seat beside me and my other phone that would not transfer

to the mini.  The mini rang softly.  Mr. Bike Rider Man, said: ” It’s all blue skies now,

Ill keep riding! “

“It’s terrible- stay put!” I shouted.

He called me about 2 minutes later. “I’m going back toward the cafe. Pick me up there”

We pulled in at exactly the same time. He was drenched.

The storm was insanely intense and I found myself with many thoughts

of all the storms in life we go through:  Babies, toddlers, potty training, first jobs,

learning to drive, paying rent. Getting that first paycheck, that seems pitifully small ,

sick babies at night, termites, car crashes, knee and shoulder replacements, falling

down basement stairs and landing on the back of your head, slamming fingers in car doors,

prostrate cancer, torn achilles.  All of it seems like stormy weather. Than it gets blue -or the

storms rumble for days. I also thought of what my friend told me about driving in the rain

and I thought about the novel: The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein. Wasn’t that a

terrific read. I thought of all the things that seemed like storms. And, you drive through them.

TOH to date: 912 hours and 50 min.