Rainbows, Lollipops and Gumdrops...and Cats??

Wouldn't it be lovely if life consisted of nothing more than rainbows and lollipops and gumdrops???

And actually, I'd add chocolate to that list, too, because we all know DARN WELL that life isn't worth living without chocolate.

Unfortunately, real life just doesn't work that way. There's a little thing called the "Pendulum Theory" - that says for every swing to one side of a continuum, there will be an equally strong swing to the opposite side.

Yesterday, life was rainbows and lollipops and gumdrops - with a bit of awesomeness on the side. So...what would today bring??

Good question...and let's just say that today was...interesting. Let's just say that most of today was spent diffusing potentially explosive situations - and although we were ultimately successful in dealing with certain issues, it took most of the day - and most of our energies - to handle things. In some ways, it was a very good learning experience, as we all must learn to deal with potential adversity - especially on a disaster response - so it was all good.

I DID manage to sneak in a highlight, though. Way, way back in the fall of 2008 - probably at this exact same time of year - I was deployed in Galveston, Texas - working with fellow Red Cross volunteers after Hurricane Ike. There, I met Ron - a pretty cool guy that was on my ERV crew.


Me on the left...Ron on the right...in Galveston, back in 2008....

After the disaster, Ron went back to his home in California, and I went back to Kansas City - and although we would periodically stay in touch on Facebook, we hadn't seen each other in person since.

Ron and his wife, Suzanne, moved to Boulder, Colorado a few years ago. And guess where I was today? I just happened to be in Boulder, Colorado. In fact, after our "situation" was handled, I gave Ron a call to see how he was doing - and his house was amazingly less than a mile from where I was. Well. It was a no-brainer that my partner and I just HAD to swing by and see Ron and Suzanne. Seriously, after not seeing someone for five years or so - and they're less than a mile away - it was destiny.

Ron & Suzanne have continued to be Red Cross volunteers, and recently worked as managers at a Red Cross shelter here in Boulder right after the flooding:


Ron at the shelter...with Suzanne in the middle....


We didn't have much time to spend with them, but we spent a delightful hour sharing Red Cross stories and life updates. This is the cool thing about my experiences in Red Cross - I seem to have "family" in just about every city in the country...and no matter where I go, I'll always be able to hook up with someone whom I may not have seen in five years.

All in all, not that bad of a day - although it certainly had all the makings initially of something disastrous.

Besides - Ron and Suzanne had cats. And life can NEVER be disastrous when a contented, purring cat is sitting on your lap.

Peace.