Rainy days and Mondays always get me . . . UP.

This morning, 18 Webelo Scouts worked gamely on their Naturalist badge in the pouring rain. About half had raingear; the rest were dressed for a sunny day. "Be Prepared" is the Scout mantra and a darned good foundation for life.

It was really, really raining at Dunwoody Nature Center.

Really. Raining.

Normally, I head for work quite reluctantly when it's raining. Not because I don't want to get wet or messy. But because I love rainy days at home. I love knitting in the rain, cleaning the house in the rain, baking in the rain, and watching the latest NetFlix DVD's in the rain. But, I also love my work, so I just transferred that cozy indoors-when-it's-raining-outside feeling to the Nature Center.

This weekend, I drove in and out of rain when I visited my parents in Greensboro, North Carolina. We're all reached a stage in life when they need to be closer to me, so I can support them when they need help. It's a gut-wrenching, scary decision for them to make, and we don't make it lightly or quickly. I decided to drive back the same day because my Sunday plate was so full, so I left Greensboro around 5 PM and got home before midnight.

Somewhere in the darkest, rural section of the state line between Georgia and South Carolina, I ran through standing water. It was pitch black outside, so the water was not visible. I surfed over the water, fishtailed a bit, then the tires grabbed pavement and I was safe.

Okay, it took a few more miles for my heart to stop racing.

That's kind of a metaphor. You're racing through the day, getting from one must-do to the next, when you hit something you couldn't see coming. There it is. Either you get through it or it stops you in your tracks (or something worse).

This time, I got through it.

Whew.