Last Wednesday afternoon I was attending a monthly board meeting, engrossed in the lively discussion, when someone said, “Look, it’s really raining.” With a glance now and then, I had been monitoring the clouds outside the window. But there were no signs of imminent rain. I kept my focus on the task at hand, not anticipating the rapid change. Silly me.
As it sometimes does in Colorado, the rain rushed in with a downpour. I scrambled to find my keys buried in the bottom of my purse, and I dashed to the parking lot. I had parked at the far end of the parking lot, so that I could get a few extra steps registered on my Fitbit. (Always like to get those little bursts of exercise when I can.) Watching for cars, I slushed across the parking lot, while the water covered and filled my dress shoes as more water relentlessly pounded my head.
I got to my convertible, unlatched my trunk, unlatched the protective top cover, tossed it in the trunk, got the key in the ignition, and watched as the roof of my convertible oh-so-very s-l-o-w-l-y and s-m-o-o-t-h-l-y closed and latched, the windows g-l-i-d-i-n-g closed. By that time, the inside of the car was drenched; puddles of water on the floor board and the tissue box next to me a glob of mush. The windows begin to steam up with humidity. I turned on the windshield wipers and defroster to drive the car to the front of the building. At that point, I wasn’t concerned about getting extra steps on my Fitbit. When I climbed out of the car, I looked like a drowned puppy. I returned to the meeting in my sopping wet professional attire; hair flat, and droplets of water artistically making their way down my face and neck; my eyes red; make-up washed off my face. Only the waterproof mascara survived. It was not a pretty sight.
Fortunately the meeting was almost over.
The rain eventually stopped, and I returned to my car, now parked in front of the entrance. I put the top back down and drove home – wet clothes and wet seat covers.
Then the most remarkable thing happened . . .
As I was crossing the Cherry Creek Dam, to the south, there was one of the most breathtaking rainbows I’ve ever seen, stretching across the sky. It reminded me to:
- Show up in the best way I can
- Anticipate the rain
- Keep a sense of humor
- Watch for the rainbow
Your message made me laugh! If this was last Thursday, I had been at the dentist on Lincoln had a tooth pulled ( ouch) Virgil was driving through the horrible hail, rain and traffic! I was constantly wiping my mouth, tissues full of saliva (bloody). Virg had nerves of steel ! I was very happy with his ability to get us home safely!
Glad you both arrived home safely. We really do get caught in unexpected rain. I’m glad my message made you laugh. Once we’ve come through, it’s great relief to be able to laugh. I’m hearin’ Barry Manilow singin’, “I’ve Made It Through The Rain”. 🙂
Hey cuz…you made me smile. This story reminded me of another funny (not so funny to him) story. I have a friend that is an actual weatherman and a member of a sports car club. We were driving an outing course with his club on a beautiful day with the top down. I saw some dark clouds pop up as we made our way around the winding canyon road. As his co-pilot and previous owner of many sports cars I calmly touched his arm and said “let’s pull over quickly at this turn out and put the top up before we get drenched from this upcoming downpour. He sarcastically said OK Dr. Alice, and just where did you get your weather degree? Having been caught in similar situations before I said “experience only just trust me on this one”.
He continued driving and lecturing me about how he had studied and that he was the expert on this subject. Before starting this voyage he had done some research and knew for a fact that we were not due for any off the wall weather during this trip. Just about that time he told me to sit back and enjoy the trip; torrential rains fell from the heavens getting his beloved leather seats and us soaked .
With no shelter or places to pull over in sight he finally had to wait to safely pull over to put the top up. Within minutes we were back in sunny skies and an amazing rainbow but finished the trip silently in soggy clothes and wet interior. I don’t recall ever being his co-pilot again:)