the thin line between optimism and delusion…

I almost died today. I mean, it wasn’t that big of a deal, lets put it this way, I could have died this morning. When I woke up this morning, I was confused about what was making the noise on my roof. Then I realized it was the torrential downpour of rain from Hurricane Jeanne. Once I came to this conclusion, I vacillated between whether it was worth it to wash and dry my hair, considering that the weather would just cause it to freak out on me later in the day. I decided to go with the decision to be clean. When dressed, I determined that I needed something to eat, and, even though I could not find my umbrella, I went to Kroger for some Chick Fil A instead of opting for something that didn’t involve getting out of the car. When I tried to get out of my car in the Kroger parking lot, the wind caught my door and tried to blow it off the hinges. I kinda take this personally, because I am rather attached to my car.

It made me contemplate how even if I could have a new car tomorrow, I would prefer my old car (except that if someone was going to give me new car, I would take it because who knows if any one will ever offer me a new car ever again). I’ve never had a brand new car, and this might be cool, but the bottom line is I’m attached to this one, and they don’t make the style that I have now anymore. Certain cars are better old. Not that I think my car model is one of them (because it isn’t), but you know how you loved your uncle’s old wagoneer? And how your friends in high school all had Bronco’s? Other cars that are still made, but were better in the old version are, Troopers, 4-runners, and those old mercedes convertibles that came in cool colors like metallic blue.

Back to how I almost died. Okay, after going to Kroger I stopped off at home to try to find the hood to my ski jacket I was wearing because I can’t find my rain jacket, and I found an umbrella. So the ski jacket was abandoned for a fleece with a hood. I’m feeling much better about the rain, equipped with my folding umbrella; and once safely parked in the deck, I set out for school, umbrella up, hoping to not blow away.

As it happens, what you worry about is not what happens. I was distressed that my little umbrella might blow inside out in the gale force winds. As I trapse across the quad, careful to stay on the sidewalk (because the tree gods get mad when you don’t stay on the path during storms, I’ve seen people barely miss limbs thrown at them), I am thinking about what I need to get out of my locker when I am startled out of my thought by a noise like, “whoooosh-thump”, as about 30 feet in front of me a huge limb falls from the sky and lands directly across my trajectory. I mean, if I hadn’t taken the time to open my umbrella, or if I hadn’t stopped to listen to the end of that song on the radio, the limb would have gotten me. Although the chances of another limb falling on the same path are not good, I decided not to risk it. I doubled back, and went all the way around the quad, trying to avoid trees at all cost. I think Megan is right, the trees are out to get us.

My mom is always worried about the hackberry trees in our backyard. But she isn’t worried that they are going to drop a limb on us. She is worried they are going to topple over on top of us (or, more importantly, one of the dogs). I think she should worry about the oaks throwing things. I learned yesterday on television that the oak is America’s national tree. I just hope that no one gets hurt on north campus.

Last night was fun. I went to the girls high school and middle school bible study I am helping with, and I really enjoyed it. It is nice to see what Athens is like from a family standpoint, and it is refreshing to be around. After that I went to Theta, to catch the end of that bible study, and I liked this even more. I love Theta, and I know that on some levels I should just move on, but I think I have moved on, and now I can serve Theta in a different capacity. The girls there last night are girls that I care a lot about, girls that I rushed, and girls that I lived in the house with. I know it will be different when those girls are gone, but for now, I am glad they are still there. That house means a lot to me. I also really appreciate Julie Powell, who leads the bible study. She doesn’t have to do that, and she does it strictly out of the goodness of her heart and her love of God. She doesn’t have any ties to Theta, but she is very much needed. She was sick last night and came anyways. I hope she feels better. It was good to be there last night, sometimes I think i have had some of the most important conversations of my life in the parking lot of that house.

This entry was not suppose to be this long, I have to go read for workers comp.