Walking. With Elsa.

~ Live & Learn

4:00 a.m. I flip open phone. Check Dark Sky app. 72° F. Tropical Storm Elsa. Heavy Rain. Flood Warnings.

Right. How bad can it possibly be? Nothing this Canadian with years @ Northern Michigan hasn’t seen. Please. Yet another over reaction, media click bait.

Cove Island Park walk. 430 consecutive mornings. Like in a row.

Rain jacket. Pants. Socks. Shoes. There was a time, in July, when you’d walk out, t-shirt, shorts, sock-less, maybe a baseball cap — and absorb whatever would hit you. Today, not so much.  Hemingway: “No, that is the great fallacy: the wisdom of old men. They do not grow wise. They grow careful.” He nailed it.

I lug the backpack to the car. The camera. Fanny pack, with keys, smartphone, earbuds.

I drive.

Radio News recaps yesterday’s headlines:

  • Governor Cuomo Declares First-In-The-Nation Gun Violence Disaster Emergency as Part of Comprehensive Strategy to Build a Safer New York, Fifty-one people were shot across the state over July 4 weekend.
  • Five undervaccinated clusters put the entire United States at risk.
  • The armed group who assassinated Haiti’s President, Jovenel Moise, were “professional killers” consisting of more than two dozen people, including two American citizens and retired members of the Colombian military.

OMG. Off with the radio.

The newspaper delivery man flips the morning paper on the driveway. It skids in the rain.

Stamford Sanitation. His orange florescent bib reflects my headlights. My back twinges watching him empty the can. God Bless you Man.

And not another soul dares to join me in this downpour. The question is why YOU are out here.

I jump out of the car to take a few shots on Weed Avenue, on the way to the park. The rain jacket can’t keep it out. My shoes sink in puddles. Socks are sopping wet. Long-sleeved shirt and t-shirt are wet to the skin. I get back to the car to find I left the door open, rain puddles on seat. Oh, what a beautiful day, you Idiot!

I drive.

I turn the corner to pull into Cove Island Park.

After 430 consecutive mornings, like in a row, you notice what’s out of place.

Sesame Street: “One of these things is not like the others. One of these things doesn’t belong. Can you tell which of these things is not like the others before I finish this song?”

And a sense of gratitude flushes over me. Forget the bullshit news. The politicians. The lies.

Here is American Might. Right here. With their buckets and long necks stretching to the heavens, preparing to rescue us.

I stand in the deluge, sopping wet, staring at the trucks. And at that moment, Grateful — for the rain, for the Tropical Elsa clean-up crews, for the garbage man, for the morning newspaper, for electric power and A/C, for good friend Mimi sharing David Attenborough’s clip –…I think to myself, What a Wonderful World, and for Gina Meyers, in closing:

Not every day
can be a good day
but this is one
of them, one
of the best days.

Notes:

  • DK Photos @ July 9, 2021. 4:45 am to 5:05 am. Tropical Storm Elsa. Cove Island Park, Stamford, CT.
  • Gina Meyers Poem. Thank you Beth @ Alive On All Channels, a daily inspiration.

25 thoughts on “Walking. With Elsa.”

  1. When I saw the weather this morning, I wondered if you would venture out? Bravo. I’m told the reason those trucks have their buckets extended is so no one steals them. Not sure if that’s true, but it’s like the fire engine in NayC that was stolen last week. Sad times.

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    2. Thanks Ray. I didn’t know that’s why buckets were extended. Learned something today. Why would ANYONE steal these trucks. Beyond Sad. Wish I didn’t know this. I’m going to go with – buckets are up because they want to catch the rain.” We’re sticking with that and going with it. Have a great day Ray.

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  2. I know that feeling of awe when you see the trucks gathering to go out. The sense of rescue coming. Up north we lose power a lot and those Electric Company folks are out in all the awful Vermont can offer. Saying thank you to them rarely happens. They usually get yelled at. After you dry off, it would be great if you printed this great piece off and send it to your Electric Company folks….where the crews work from. They will put it on a bulletin board to give a boost when they need it. Just a thought.

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    1. That’s it Mary Ann. “Rescue.” That’s what I felt. Incredibly grateful for humans that doing great things in the worst of conditions that benefit the rest of us. You nailed it. Let me see if I can figure out how to flip this to them. Thanks for the idea.

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  3. Maybe I didn’t get your message completely. Did you go on with your run/walk? Or were you careful (intelligent) enough to go back home? That just would make MY day!
    Great ‘talk’ to yourself, and brilliant idea from Mary Ann. Yes, please, let’s all say Thank You a lot more – it doesn’t hurt, it costs nothing, and it gives a great feeling of appreciation-we can’t ever thank enough to so many ppl.
    We had rain for days on end – today the first time for – how long? – I see a corner of blue, must head out to do some shopping on foot.

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  4. Indeed – so much to be grateful for, and so much to malign…you have kicked me in the pants my friend – I’m going to post something today – after years…thank you.

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  9. All of it, beautiful…the sight, the thoughts. Also appreciate leaders who see to it that we’re prepared and cared for–mayors, governors, presidents (latter example of no protection Jan.6th for all who needed it). Last evening I ignored our local weather and decided our casual tennis group should see if we could play (6:30–9 outdoors under lit courts) All of the scheduled classes were moved to the indoor facility early in the day, so we had our choice of court if anyone came. Of course, it was raining all around us, but not on Princeton Community Park! Finally we had 3 guys and one gal and me. It was absolutely beautiful..fresh air and interesting clouds. I may be old and not wise, but doggedness can be beneficial.

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  11. So many wise words have already accumulated here….I can but say that every day that brings us a bit of wit, grit, whimsy or wonder from DK is a good one in my book. You, my friend, are appreciated. Deeply…..

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