1) Good music: Again, Ani is gracing my ears, though we may soon be switching to the August Rush soundtrack.
2) Hot coffee: Yes friends. I have my french vanilla right here. And its WATER BASED! (aka: my lactose intolerance won't be angry later)
3) Computer attached to the internet: Even though its not a mac, it'll do;)
Truth: I have become a total Mac snob since I purchased mine a little over a year ago. Yes, I am still paying for it, but there is just something about opening a shiny silver computer and having it work for you every single time. I just can't tell you what a godsend its been.
Thing is, none of the things above have anything to do with the subject matter I intended to put in this blog. Sometimes, my mind runs away and my typing fingers seem to follow. Back on track though, its raining today! Which for many people in this area, is a little frightening. The Ohio River gets a little full when it rains a lot, and then it floods, and then the roads and backyards and houses and such get submerged in water. If that wasn't enough, the storm drains can flood, and instead of your basement filling with water, it fills with sewage. Yeah, gross.
Google image reminds me that this isn't the first time the river has flooded, and it certainly won't be the last. That is a perspective that is easy for me to keep, considering I'm only visiting. However, the idea that we have no control over the weather helped to hold me accountable today.
I was reminiscing with a friend this past weekend about my "rain" outfit during my second year at school. If it was raining when I woke up, I can't even tell you how excited I was. Why? I had a pink hat, pink shirt, pink sweats, pink rain boots and a matching pink umbrella that composed my rain outfit. Not only would I remain dry, I would remain dry in style. Or at least so I thought. Some called it my pepto bismol outfit. Others wondered (to themselves and aloud) if my under garments matched the outer. I'll keep that tidbit to myself, but know that every item of that outfit made me feel very happy despite the dismal forecast. Eventually the boots broke, the hat was lost, and all that remains is the pink umbrella. And let me tell you, I have not been so excited about the rain since then.
There were other times in my life when the rain caused more excitement than angst. My first year in college I lived on a quad that would fill completely with water when it rained heavily. Young men and women would don sweats and tshirts and play mud football in the knee-deep water. Sailboats, presumably crafted by the many architecture majors in the area, would float around the nature-made lake, left to their own devices. Watching and sometimes partaking in such shenanigans myself was a highlight of that year of great change.
In my younger years, my parents put an addition on our house. For several months we didn't have a real roof on our kitchen. Blue tarps kept the majority of the critters and elements out, but when it rained, my Mom would dress the three kids in bathing suits and boots and we would push the "water bowls" out of the tarps with broom handles. I remember looking up at all that water and wondering if we were kicking a fish out of its house! Mom likened the whole thing to Noah's Ark, which still brings a smile to my face when I am reminded of that story.
Today, it rained. Its my spring break, and for the second consecutive year, I've seen more rain than sun. I was very tempted to remain inside today, filling out job applications and doing laundry. But a mood to get out took over me. So I strapped on the Nikes, broke out my new orange headphones, found my newest playlist and then proceeded to go on my first run in at least a month and a half. I have a bit of a cough, so the first 10 minutes consisted of me coughing up a lung. Luckily, there weren't many people around to judge so I trekked on unquestioned. I had decided I was going to run down to the river and check out the high waters I had seen video of on the news, and sure enough, the shoreline was much receded. Had I chosen to get closer, it would have been more than rainwater in my shoes.
At this point in the run, I had to be a good mile away from where I was staying. Since I ran a 5k last spring (yes, that's another story for another entry) I have continued running, but never more than a mile or two at best. I was feeling pretty tired, but then I got a crazy idea. "Self, you have all the time in the world, you should run across the bridge." I mean, why the heck not? In a few months I'll be in Alaska, running from bears, so I should probably start doing a little training. Off I ran, across this bridge. Well, it turned into a lot more speed walking, with the occasional stop to wipe some of the water off my glasses. It wasn't until after I had gone across the bridge that I realized I was a lonnnnnnnng way from dry clothes. I decided I didn't want to run back across the same bridge, so I jogged a couple blocks down the river and crossed on a pedestrian bridge.
It was on this bridge, my clothes completely saturated, water dripping down my face, droplets hanging on my earlobes, that I realized why I had grown to hate the rain. If you're going someplace or meeting someone, you're expected to look a certain way. Every item in my wardrobe has a calculated meaning. My hair is cut in a way that is supposed to be fun and mature. My rather pricey glasses frames were meant to make a statement as well. But when you're dripping wet, freezing cold, and running past a school bus full of kids, you realize that none of it matters. The image, the pretense - it only matters if it matters to you.
As I prepare to make a voyage to a place that millions of people will never lay eyes on, I have an opportunity. As I leave my home of four years and begin searching out a new sort of life, I have a choice.
These are the questions I'll be asking:
-What is most important?
-Who will be along for the ride?
-Where will my adventures take me?
Will I cry because of the rain, or will I sing in it? You are invited to follow along and find out!
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