There is now officially a naked video of me somewhere on the interweb.

Alrighty, Jeffy…. I dare you to find it.

Cheers.

Yesterday was my first day back to my five mile walk since getting sick.  I’d originally started going every other day, but I liked it so much I found myself there every evening despite blisters and rain and cold.  Then I got sick.

So I went back and as I climbed out of the jeep I was giddy with relief to be back out along the river where the noise of the freeway and the airport somehow are dropped to the background even though they are the loudest sounds – the river takes over.  The tranquility of the Columbia.

As I set out along the path I relished that I was alone for the moment.  King Heron usually perches in the tangle of a driftwood tree root system, yet even he was gone.  The clouds to the West looked ominous but for the moment I was walking under blue sky decorated with puffy white chunks of bliss. 

One walk a couple of weeks ago I saw an otter drag a flounder-like fish to the shore not 20 feet from me.  I stood quietly and watched her eat.  Although the sound of tiny bones breaking was a little nauseating.  Then she swam back out and caught another fish, long and squirmy – like an eel. She dragged it back to her spot to eat and I couldn’t believe my luck.  If I’d charged over the rocks I might have been able to catch her I was so close.  As it was I just stood, then sat there for about half an hour and marveled. When she swam away I continued my walk.

Yesterday, as I strolled I was so happy to be out and about again that I didn’t pay attention to the approaching gray clouds until nearly the quarter way point I looked out at the river and a 100 yards ahead the river surface turned from glassy smoothness to a very straight line of rough choppy wind wall.

I was feeling a little weak from being sick anyway so I thought –“Uh, time to go.” Whereupon I turned around and made for the jeep.  I’d only gone a mile or so, so it would only be that far back.  When the storm hit there was no gentle “hello” about it.  It was just blue sky, slight wind – then sleet and hard, fat, pounding rain.

I stopped in my tracks no longer caring if I made it back to the Jeep I took my headband off and ran my finger through hair that was suddenly drenched.

It felt GREAT! I just stood there. Loving the rain.  Loving the misty grey dream my part of the world had become.  Loving how the drivers on the road started honking at the woman standing in the hail storm with her hands outstretched being pebbled by dots of ice. I stood there, so overwhelmed with happiness and gratitude I just started crying. Tears and rain and joy.

I was soaked through. The top of my pink hoodie, which I put up for a minute then decided I like the rain better on my scalp and threw it back again, was suddenly too wet to manipulate.  It hung back from my neck like dead weight.  I knew I should get to the car, I knew I should get out of the weather – but god damnit! I didn’t want to.

So I stayed.

I stayed long enough for my walking shoes to saturate enough to send a stream of water with each step.  I stayed long enough for my hair to soak up all the water it could before the downpour couldn’t be stopped and rain ran directly into my eyes.  I stayed long enough to keep my hands stretched out and catch pieces of ice and roll them around between my fingers till they melted.  I stayed long enough for the occasional bead of hail to bounce down my shirt and land between cleavage and make me jump, giggle and shudder in that order. I wandered off the trail, through the grass and down to the edge of the water where I threw rocks into the river making my own splashes against the hail pockmarks on the Columbia’s surface.

I stayed until I couldn’t feel my toes anymore. Then with the sudden reminder that “oh, yeah.  I’ve been sick. I should probably not push my luck.” I headed back up the embankment humming off-key ‘who wants to live forever’ by Queen.  I practically skipped back to the jeep, water sluicing off my shoes with each bounce, both pairs of socks soaked all the way through.  I shrugged out of my hoodie, tossing it in the passenger seat with a soggy splat and climbed in. 

I didn’t want to go home.  I didn’t want to get dried off.  I wanted to find a mud puddle and slosh around and sing.  But I knew I needed to get home, warm and stay healthy.  So I blasted the stereo, ‘Crystal Ball’ by Styx and drove back – all the while with a shitty grin and a sense of happiness that I have been missing for weeks now.  A little earl grey, my favorite oversized sweater and everything will be right as… rain.