One thing I find super interesting about living in FL (besides all the crazy news headlines…no seriously, things that happen here are beyond nutso) is the weather. It’s part of what I think creates all the crazy-nutjob people here because one second it’s hot as hell and your clothes are sticking to places that are best left aired out, but then the skies shift in one millisecond and it’s pouring down rain like a monsoon. Then, clear skies, back to your daily routine. What the heck. As though FL isn’t bad enough being just hot in general, now I have to deal with driving home in a torrential hurricane-like downpour on my horrendous commute every day. I mean, I remember being young and coming to FL for summer vacations, Disney, etc, and we inevitably had to buy the Mickey ponchos because the skies would open up in the middle of the day. No poncho and you’re stuck inside one of the Norwegian bars in Epcot indefinitely.

Now, I work 9 hour days, Mon-Thurs, and in turn I get every other Friday off. It’s only for the summer (but could turn into a permanent-ish work schedule), and it has been very nice. One day every two weeks, I don’t have to make this stupid commute. It’s just stupid in every way. But now that it’s rainy season, every evening I drive home in limited visibility, high winds, flying pieces of palm trees, and really challenged drivers. It’s really fun, let me tell you. And Lakeland gets hit every single day. I don’t understand weather patterns and meteorology, but I would have assumed that coastal cities get smacked and then the central parts of the state get the tail-end of storms. But no, that’s not how it works in reality. I see darkness ahead every damn day and let me tell you, after 9 hours, it’s not welcome.

Hour-long commutes are always made better by threatening skies, right?

But in honor of Pride month, DOMA struck down by SCOTUS, and the end of Prop8 in California, it has come to light that the storms do produce something pretty awesome: rainbows. Rainbows every single day. I hope they don’t lose their appeal since they happen now all the time. Rainbows still light me up with a child-like wonder about the world and just make me happy. Rainbows = happiness.

A rainbow here…

A rainbow there…

(double) rainbows everywhere!

And sometimes that’s what this whole move to FL feels like: one big, long, rumbling thunderstorm in the middle of my life. Things haven’t been the greatest here. Things have been effing hard and challenging and really anger-inducing at times. Our relationship has been truly tested and is still being tested. But someday, we’re going to see that rainbow at the end. I mean, I don’t have to wait until “the end” to realize this move was worth it, but gah, a rainbow just makes everything feel lighter and happier, right? And a little lightness and happiness is what we all need, not just for right now, but always. It’s nice to know that although this time in our life is not one of the best, happiest, “I just love everything and you and the world and roses and puppy breath!” phases in our lives, it will be once again.

Thank you, FL rainbows, for reminding me that good exists and it’ll come back around if we just wait the darker times out.

♥, VB

P.S. No one was harmed in the capturing of these rainbows on film. I am not one of these challenged FL drivers and never will be.