Day 5/6

 

Intentions.

Writing everyday was an intention, not a promise, so I haven’t failed. I just didn’t write yesterday.

Not to make excuses but life didn’t really allow it. On January 5^th, I woke up early to see if there might be a glimpse of the sunrise before yet another storm moved in. While I did catch a bit of light, there was no visible sunrise, and my lighthouse was being pummeled with a storm surge that turned catastrophic for coastal homes and businesses as I mentioned in the last post. As the storm surge moved in, I moved out. 

Late last month, I’d made plans with my son to bring some things down to him at UCSB before the quarter started. Between “Pineapple Expresses” and “Atmospheric Rivers”, driving four plus hours seemed like a decidedly bad idea so I decided to take advantage of a brief rain break Thursday afternoon to make the drive.

Years ago, I was always up for a road trip. Give me a bag of FUNYUNS®, a package of Reese’s Pieces, and some caffeine and I was famous for getting in the car with the Eagles Greatest Hits (cassette!) and ending up in a different state – which is a considerable feat when you start in the middle of Texas.

But long road trips haven’t held the same excitement for me in the last couple of decades. And solo road trips pretty much ceased to exist after I had children.

So, this trip was keeping a promise while consciously going outside of my comfort zone a bit – something I feel like I should do more often.

To say I was ‘white knuckled’ as I began my drive, would be an accurate representation. Rainfall had slowed but coastal evacuations were still in place and massive flooding was underway. With the daylight, and Google Maps, I was mostly confident that I could avoid issues and the recent public service mantra, “Turn around, don’t drown” was running through my head.

Once I finally made it to SB 101, I had a bit of confidence that this was perhaps a hairbrained, but not completely insane, idea. The drive was long, and I didn’t make any stops which speaks to my out-of-practiceness when it comes to road tripping. But I was rewarded every hour or so with the most amazing rainbows. No, really, THE most amazing rainbows with vibrant colors and several that made full arches. I have no photos of those rainbows. Pulling my phone out of nav and pointing it out the window while I was traveling 75mph down the highway seemed like a bad idea. I wanted to get those images. To record them so I could share that experience with others. But I didn’t.

Felt like the universe’s reminder to me that starting something in decidedly miserable conditions doesn’t portend for continued miserableness. Felt like the universe reminding me that beauty appears suddenly and, if you blink, you might miss it. And felt like the universe reminding me that, while we live in a society where ‘it didn’t happen without photographic proof’ is the default, magic that remains unrecorded in traditional means, is still magic and can always be recorded in my heart and mind.

 

(I did, however, take a few pics Santa Barbara. Spending some quality time with my son was pretty priceless and, while I don't NEED a photo to remember, these photos and the reminder of that time make me smile.)