As we were putting the kiddos to bed tonight, it briefly rained. By the time I finished Asher's story and prayers, the rain had stopped and Chris and I finished our stories and prayers with the girls (whew, that was close. The girls do not sleep in their rooms when it is raining). I looked outside and it looked calm, no wind. Oh, how nice. It was so windy when we were playing earlier. So, I tied my shoes and went out for my evening jog.
The weather was so nice, in the 50's. The streets were mostly dry at this point. Oh, so peaceful. As I reached the furthest place from our house, roughly 2 -2 1/2 miles away during my 4 1/2 - 5 mile jog depending upon how I felt, the lightening began. Humm, I did not recall storms in the forecast the few moments I heard the weather tonight. I could see it raining in the distance, so I increased my pace. As I continued to run, the lightening worsened, lighting the sky so much that the street lights were turning off. I began to scream out loud (yes, I know, I should be embarrassed) with every few lightening strikes as it felt as if they were right on top of me. As I turned down a street without any houses built on it yet, the lightening became almost contant, it became quite windy, and it began to rain. As I got in the middle of this probably 1/2 mile stretch of road, it began to pour down rain in sheets and the wind was out of control. As I reentered our neighborhood, the rain started to hurt as it hit me, the lightening constant. I was seriously scared out of my mind thinking I was about to be in a tornado (and I am not kidding)! One has no idea what storms are like until you are seriously stuck in one outside! Fearing for my life, I ran across some yard to the nearest house I could get to fighting the wind and rang their doorbell. The man came to the door with his dinner salad in hand. I felt so bad, embarrassed that I was such a moron to be out running in - wait - is that hail all over the ground?! No wonder!! I did not even realize I was getting hailed on until I stopped. The wife came running out of nowhere with a towel feeling bad for me. I asked if I could please use their phone so I could call my husband who I was sure waiting by the phone in worry. I called, it rang, no answer. Okay, I am not feeling his concern here. I looked outside, it was just mildly raining now. Although completely drenched, I told them I will just run home. They insisted on driving me home. My heart still beating fast from fear, I took them up on their offer (anyone who knows me knows that I would NEVER typically accept such a kind offer).
I arrived home, thinking Chris would be standing by the window in worry. I went inside, no Chris. Humm. I went downstairs and find the girls zipped up in their sleeping bags in fear of the storm and Chris sitting in his office. He knew I was running, knew it was raining and storming, but was not at all concerned thinking that I probably was not that far from home. What? Seriously. Oh, I feel the love. Not far from home? Does it matter if I am 1 mile or a 1/2 a block if I am out in hail, sheets of rain, and high winds?????!!!! Then I asked him what should I give these kind people. His response, "I don't know, that's embarrassing."
So, I think I will come up with something tomorrow to go with my thank-you note for their kindness. At least somebody cared!
What did I learn?
1. Well, for starters, our weather people know absolutely nothing. I looked up the weather online thinking I must have missed something and it said nothing about a spring lightening storm with hail. I think it said, "a few showers" tonight. If there is a cloud in the sky, perhaps I should run on the treadmill.
2. Remind Chris I am going for a run and leave him the phone, turning the ring tones on high.
3. Don't run in lightening storms or hail...that just is not fun.
4. If it has been a rainy day, and then turns calm, perhaps look around for some storm clouds. Calm and quiet usually is not a good sign.
What does not nearly kill you makes you stronger, right?
