Bethanyology

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This evening I took a walk in the rain.  It was just overcast and a bit of a sprinkle when I left the house, but I knew from the clouds continuing to roll in that it would soon get worse.  I know as well as everyone else that it’s not a good idea to be outside during a thunderstorm, but I wanted to anyway.  I was in a really bad mood at the time, and maybe it was a “misery loves company” self-sabotage thing, but I knew I’d have to work out before bed and it would only get rainier and darker outside if I waited longer and I knew that I’d better get out of the house alone for a while.

So, I threw on Colin’s SPAM T-shirt (one of my favorite ratty workout shirts), grabbed my phone in case Colin needed to call me about a tornado warning or something, and clipped the iPod to my corduroy pants and headed out the door.   Double-dutying the time and attempting to improve my mood, I flipped on the Book of Mormon on the iPod and listened as Mosiah started a democratic government among the Nephites and abolished kings, Alma went to war with the Amlicites, and Nehor died a not-so-ignominious death.

Instead of doing the smart thing and heading to the gym and a treadmill out of the rain, I took a walk around the apartment complex.  It was so nice to smell the rain-cleaned air as I breathed it in deeply and feel the cool breeze on my arms and face.  The temperature was cool, but not too cool, and I explored the lower half of the complex that’s a lot bigger than I thought before.  I mostly walked under cover of the balcony/sidewalks along the front of the apartment buildings, but once in a while I’d walk between buildings or under trees on the grass.  The rain wasn’t heavy and didn’t soak me through, so it was pleasantly cool and refreshing.  As the thunder clapped around me, I was reminded that the world is a beautiful place, that there are bigger (and more important) things than me, and that my problems aren’t the worst in the world.

Refreshing.   And no, I didn’t get hit by lightning.