WARNING: this is long. but i had an experience. and i make no excuses or apologies for it. read if you're willing.
Rumor had it, Tuesday would be rainy. I went to bed with a hope for sunshine, that I might have a chance at walking along the Golden Gate Bridge. At the sound of my 7:30 wake up call, I immediately rose to check the forecast:
light rain ending at 9:00, thunderstorms starting at 11:00.
This provided the perfect window of opportunity to head out on a little adventure. I arrived at the Marin Headlands in a lively pony-tail, ratty t-shirt, maroon shorts, leggings, and my sorry excuse for tennis shoes.
As I set out, the look of the bay and the sheer majesty of the bridge completely filled me- mind, heart, and soul. Passing signs sharing messages of "hope" and phone numbers of people you can talk to, I felt so relieved at the hope I have. Unfailing. Then my mind quickly wandered to the city standing before me. I saw the Marina, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Transamerica building. They beckoned. "Jordan, you know you want to. You're already on your way." It wasn't long before I embraced these ideas. I thought to myself, "you can just walk over to Crissy field, walk around, look and enjoy!" Excitement flowed wildly through my veins.
Suddenly, my body was taken over by a gust of wind so powerful, I quickly looked for something to hold onto. Not only this, but my face began to feel wet. As I approached the city, so close to the bridge's end, I squinted my eyes, in hopes of reading the clock above the center toll booth. "It can't be 11:00 already," I thought! The clock read 8:45. Dilemma. Do I risk it, and press on in my journey? Do I turn around? The wind began to pick up, and the rain was beginning to hurt. The humble drops I had prepared for now seemed to be tiny bullets being shot at my face.
I turned around, and began my journey home. I remember nothing of the bay or the majestic bridge on which I tread. Only the mighty wind and the numbing fear of the approaching storm. I passed others, who exchanged with me a glance that read, "Are we crazy??" "Perhaps," I thought. My brisk walk quickly turned to a run. I took off, trying so hard to remember my core and the form of my body- this was supposed to be an exercise after all. My mood was shot. Discouragement quickly set in. Disappointment flooded my mind at the thought of my failed plans. Little girl losing herself in a big city, yet again- this was not a dream easily repressed.
Then, out of nowhere, I noticed an altering shift in my surroundings. The sky turned to a perfect shade of blue, graced with white, cotton-like clouds, without being consumed. As the clouds parted, I lifted my hands of ice and removed my hood, only to see the mountains shining before me, basking in the glory of the sun. And I turned once more to look at my city, engulfed in shades of gray. "Another day," I said. This rain will end. And summer is on the horizon.
i snagged this photo after i made it back to my car. lovely.
flowers make me smile.
