Inclinate Weather

I woke at 4:30 this morning to the sounds of pouring rain, which was very appropriate for my mood. I love that term "pouring". Here in Florida, I think the more accurate description for this morning's rain, would be thrashing, blowing, and heaving rain. Apparently the popular saying here is, "If you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes." I have heard this several times in the four weeks we have been here.

When I looked out the bathroom window, the lightening was so bright, it filled the room with its rage. It was over the ocean, coming consistently, and because I couldn't tell how near or far it was, I pulled on my running clothes to see which crazies would be waiting on the curb. I desperately wanted to climb back into bed and sleep my troubles away. My troubles are many: the unhappiness I feel with the elementary school, the discontent and unrest in the future here, what our lives might have looked like if we staying in San Diego....I read more of THe Kite Runner last night to drown some of my sorrows. Getting lost in the characters in that book was the obvious escape, one that made my life seem a lot more appealing than it feels at times.

I tied my shoes and rolled out the large drive into the furious rain. The other interesting point of mention about weather here: though it may be thrashing rain at our house, it may not be raining at all 3 miles away at the park where the Sun Runners meet. I was hopeful, obviously, to be driving that direction, but the rain continued on. When I pulled into Riverside Park, Kimmie and Craig were holed up in her car, arguing like an old married couple, though they are young and not married to each other. She was insisting that the rain, plus, thunder and lightening was suicide; he was telling her it was no big deal and after quoting something he told me was from the movie "Caddy Shack" (I have never seen the movie, but I guess as Superintendent of one of the golf courses on the island, this is a staple to the DVD library), insisted that the rain was going a different direction than our run course.

Low and behold, who comes running over, but crazy Doctor George and his lovely wife, Lori. Having been in North Carolina for pleasure all weekend, Doc was amped up and ready to run, quadruple A personality he is. Anyway, we obviously did not get struck by lightening since I sit here writing this most gratefully now. George kept telling me as soon as we got over the bridges, we would be safe on lower ground. I am trying to put together a movement right now to get this group to run bridge repeats for hill training, the only elevation to speak of in these parts. So far, the enthusiasm has been minimal.

I think the hardest thing for me to adjust to is the way one's life really is dictated by weather. I am not accustomed to having to wait on the heat, wait on the rain, wait out the lightening. Here, it is simply life. Today, the kids are supposed to start tennis, but since it has been storming all day, on and off, with blue skies teasing us for fleeting moments, I think their lesson will be cancelled due to "inclinate weather". That is the nice term around here for weather that simply will not cooperate and allow us to go about our business as usual.