A New Way to Wake Up

Yesterday morning at 5:15, I headed out the door for a short run. I had checked Weather.com, didn't see anything suspicious, stretched and started my run. I noticed the birds weren't chirping, as they normally do in anticipation of sunrise. They must have still been asleep like me, I thought.

Three hundred yards down the road, the brightest burst of light I have ever seen sizzled directly overhead. Two seconds later, I heard the thunder. After a saying a few words that aren't fit for company, I turned and headed home at a full sprint. In the distance, our neighborhood tornado siren began to wail. Or maybe that was me.

Sheesh, so much for calm and 50 on Weather.com. An image of Robin Williams yelling, "GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM!" appeared in my mind. Robin was smiling like he knew something. I did not like his crazy smile, which I normally find amusing. I also thought it might be a good idea to check my pants when I got home.

After a 20-minute break, some calm reassurances from the weather people on Channel 4 and another check of the radar, I decided to restore order. No, it's not nice to fool Mother Nature, but I was going to get in my run. I ran an uneventful four miles, then another three tonight with Pepper.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Earlier this week, I met a young woman who survived Hodgkins lymphoma last year. We swapped cards and decided to talk soon about our experiences. She has short cancer hair, like Dori. She seems lovely, too, like Dori. You can tell she's happy to be alive.