Rain!

You may have heard that it's raining in California. A lot.* It's so much rain (and wind) for this state that companies all over the Bay Area told their employees yesterday to work from home, if they needed to. I am, in fact, working from home today.

Weather is a funny thing. I was just talking to one of my sisters last night about weather and natural disasters and how every region of the U.S. has something they deal with on a regular basis. For Southerners and some Midwesterners, it's tornadoes, rainstorms, and heat. For Northerners, it's snow. For Californians, it's earthquakes, and for people along the Gulf and East Coast, it's hurricanes. People in each region are familiar with what they deal with, so they don't get too scared, and they handle their weather without much of a fuss.

For example, I grew up in Southern states, so I generally know how to recognize signs that a tornado is near. I even kind of love those signs. I love rain and thunder, and that eerie green cast to the sky. I love gloomy gray clouds and being outside when there's lightning. Like people in every region of the country, though, I am terrified of the unfamiliar. I am terrified of earthquakes and hurricanes. I am nervous if there's too much snow on the road—and too much snow on the road is anything more than a dusting.

And why shouldn't I be scared? Or at least a little nervous? I've never had to regularly drive in snow, and I've never had to tape up my windows in preparation for a hurricane, and I've never had to think about items in my house falling down while the earth is shaking.

Right now, Californians are staying inside because the roads here aren't build for flash floods, nor are drivers used to navigating wet streets. It's a little laughable, I guess, but it's also just endearing and sort of nostalgic. I love that weather reminds people of home and gives them something to talk about. I love that no matter how advanced technology gets, humans will always be slaves to weather. It's oddly unifying and comforting.


Thing I'm thankful for: a roof, electricity, and wifi


*It's been years since California has seen so much rain in one day. Obviously, it reminds me of the 50-year storm.