Rain (and what it means to a Mercedes salesperson)

Most people up here in NorCal love the rain. We need it, for one thing, so we can keep supplying LA with the water necessary for their lush lawns, and it makes our hillsides pretty and green for a while, too. It ushers in blooming yellow mustard and happy grapevines in the wine country, and the pink cherry blossoms which grace so briefly the wine-colored branches of the cherry trees. Rain makes for gorgeous, wild surf, and pounds our beaches into new and woolly shapes, if only temporarily. Yes, we NorCal people love our rain.

But driving in it, we're not so good. Actually, Californians in general suck at driving in the rain, as anyone who grew up in an inclement-weather place can attest. We either drive WAY too slowly, as if the raindrops will pop our tires out there, or drive exceedingly fast, as if there couldn't be anything remotely slippery on a road that hasn't been wet down in months, and that the laws of physics do not apply to busy people. Add to this equation streets in various states of disrepair and the occasional sinkhole, and you have a recipe for fender benders and worse. Most people stay home if they have the option. Accidents are more common, and worse in severity, so staying at home seems a prudent safety strategy.

This type of weather brings out the cozy in us; we're lucky to have it. Having lived in SoCal, I know the guilt wrought by yet another sunny day. When do we get to stay indoors, in our jammies, for crying out loud, and read the newspaper and watch Singin' in the Rain? The incessant sun exhorts us to get off our butts and go do something, anything, but relax.

But here, on a ferociously rainy day, we all enjoy our day off. It's an excuse to NOT get things done such as errands; we can cite the weather. We make a cup of tea and connect with our pillows, catching up on a nap or two as the rain rattles our double-hung windows, and all is right with the world. Right as rain, indeed.

I didn't have the day off today, and went into work with a sense of duty and  purpose. I know that should an accident be unavoidable, my clients have the best chance of coming though safely, and that makes me feel good. Every time it rains, somebody's life is saved by their Mercedes. They'll show up in our showroom in a week or so, perhaps still in shock, telling us where and when their life was saved by their car. We will then calmly accept the duty of helping them select a new one, silently sending our thanks for the wisdom of the Mercedes engineers.

More rain is expected. Drive safely.