Sunday, September 4, 2011

A Welcome Storm


I walked outside tonight to pick some basil for the bruschetta I was making with dinner, and as I snapped leaves from their stalks, raindrops began plopping down around me.

It's not common to get summer storms in Southern California. So I decided to sit. Right there on the step where our basil pot rests.

I thought of Guy Montag and how pivotal the rainfall in Fahrenheit 451 was for him. He was the first person I knew of who had been cleansed by rain. That was the first book that really taught me about the symbolism of water in literature.

So I sat in my backyard, letting the spotty drops fall on me, washing away the invisible silt that's been coating me for 6 years.

I glanced up at my roofline and that's when I saw the rainbow above. Right over my house. And suddenly I was completely at peace. I knew without a doubt that all would be okay. All was right in the world. I felt so grateful to witness it. Those are the moments in life when you feel most alive, aren't they?

When Mr. Wonderful and I took our first trip together early in our relationship, we saw a full arc rainbow on our drive home from San Francisco. I remember thinking it was a sign. I still believe it was.

And I think maybe the one I saw today was, too. Good things ahead.

6 comments:

  1. Nice :) I'm absolutely positive that with an attitude like yours you'll be on your feet and working (or writing!) again in no time!

    My favorite wild weather cleanser is wind (there's plenty of it where I live) After a bad day I'll walk home in the wind and arrive feeling all fresh and new, with all my cobwebs blown away :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely post. And yes, good things ahead. I find that many the best things have come after the worst things. It's as if you have to pay up front for what you really want.

    ReplyDelete
  3. wow... now I feel all inspired to like, do stuff! Thanks for writing this! I love rainbows too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. LeafProbably - Oooh I've never thought of the wind as cleansing. I like that! I'm going to think that when the autumn winds start up here.

    Janice - I love that theory. Pay up front. Very smart. I'm glad I have a job-leaving adventure guru like you to help steer me in the right direction! :)

    MissMcCracken - Ha well I'm glad I inspired you. :) I always love seeing rainbows. Just feels like a good omen.

    ReplyDelete
  5. But "what does it mean"...oh wait, you weren't talking about a double rainbow...
    We get lots of crazy rainstorms here this time of year, and I LOVE them. So cleansing and cooling and frightening and exciting and soothing all at the same time...

    ReplyDelete
  6. I have said these words to myself so much over the past couple years, as you can probably imagine, and of course it has been true the entire time. I sometimes have to remind myself daily, but it is always true. It's always okay. The end is not the end.

    ReplyDelete

Well, whatdya think?