Roll on 18 Wheeler

It rained here for most of the weekend. I loved it. It doesn't rain all that often in southern California, which is definitely nice, but I get pretty excited when once in a while it rains like it did this weekend. No messing around, heavy clouds, and a loud and steady downpour that is the best kind of lullaby. So I embraced the rain on this lazy three day weekend, lit fires in the fireplace, drank pots of coffee, did a whole lot of cooking and baking, watched Mamma Mia (three times...) and tryed to downplay how happy I was about having no choice but to wear my fabulous purple Hunter rainboots if and when I decided to leave the house, which was no more than four times I assure you. As the rain did it's cleansing work, rejuvenating our beautiful Santa Barbara landscape it defintely had a similar effect on me. I woke up Tuesday morning refreshed by the rain that was still coming down in sheets and got on the road extra early to ensure that I'd make it to Pasadena on time for Gender and Sexuality class-I know, you wouldn't want to miss it either.

Then, it all happened so fast. A semi truck changed from the right lane into my lane. He was still a ways ahead of me, but the back spray from his wheels was practically blinding me, so I changed lanes and from that moment it's like slow motion and fast motion at the same time in my mind. I lost control of the car and found myself spinning and sliding into the center guardrail. I did a full 360 followed by another 180 degrees before the back end of my car struck the guardrail, and I came to a stop. Even now, I seriously am amazed and somewhat impressed with myself that I remained calm. I didn't cry. I didn't have a panic attack. Both rational responses if you're me. I calmly assessed the situation, called 911, and waited. I thanked God that there was not another car coming behind me which would have made the situation so much worse. I thanked God (and myself, I suppose) for the fact that I was wearing a seatbelt. Sometimes I forget, which I know is terrible, but it's true, and yesterday I felt it doing exactly what it was supposed to do and I was so thankful. I replayed what had just happened a couple of times...Did I brake? I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to...Did I turn with the direction I was sliding? Isn't that what Brad taught me when he made me learn how to do donuts in the Hoffman parking lot? Or do you turn against the direction you are sliding? Crap, I don't know which one is correct, but I also have no idea what I did... About thirty seconds of this, followed by looking around, realizing I was fine. My car was (relatively) fine. I was (yet again) thankful for my rain boots and my raincoat as I headed out into the dark and the rain to see the damage as I waited for Officer Wolf to arrive. Driveable. There's a big dent that will be expensive to fix, but it's definitely driveable, so I continued to count my blessings. I got back in the car, wished I had a husband or boyfriend to call and then settled for the next best, or maybe even better thing and called my dad. He, too, was just glad I was okay, so after I talked to him for a few minutes I let him get back to work and just hung out and waited. Me and George Strait, hazard lights on, facing north on the southbound side of the freeway, watching the rain and the waves, still a bit shaken up, but waiting calmly nonetheless.

Apparently I was hard to find on the freeway. I was on that long stretch between Carpinteria and Ventura where there are no exits or definitive indicators of location, but finally the friendly officer arrived and filled out a report for me. He even let me come sit in his squad car while he did so since it was raining so hard. What a bizarre turn of events, staring at my injured vehicle while seated (next to a couple of rifles perched conveniently in the middle of the two front seats!) in a squad car. And then, a few minutes later, I just got back in the car and headed down to school. I was 45 minutes late, but then it seemed like just business as usual. A couple calls to my amazingly kind and helpful insurance agent, but really, life just went on.

And so it goes. Life goes on. The shit hits the fan. Your car winds up backwards on the freeway. You break up with someone that you thought was the love of your life, or even just mr. good-enough-for-now. Or one of the previously mentioned gentlemen doesn't even give you a second glance and your heart breaks with unrequited love. Friends move away and family members and co-workers and pets gets sick. We lose loved ones. We lose wallets and cell phones and jobs. We lose touch with old friends. And all the while, the world keeps turning and the good Lord keeps our feet on the ground and reminds us that though we always seem to forget, He has created us to be resilient creatures. We can weather any storm. I was blessed by that truth this morning, and grateful for the reminders both of my own resilience and of the sweetness of life.