“Man plans. God Laughs.”—Harland Coben
Our best-laid plans in life can be upended by unexpected changes, which could be either disappointing or exhilarating. In my case it turned out to be exhilarating and wet. Let me explain! On Sunday, I decided to take a bike ride at 1:30, an hour and half before it was forecasted to rain. I changed the destination of the ride and headed toward West Valley College in Saratoga. It had already begun to drizzle. As I entered the expansive wooded college campus grounds, I heard music playing in the distance. I decided to find out where it was coming from and found myself immersed in the middle of the Spring Chinese Culture Fair, experiencing China’s rich ancient cultural heritage.
There were over 20 free booths-on-site, a diverse range of cultural and handicraft activities designed exclusively for children, allowing every age to have fun. There were a variety of extraordinary performances from children flute players, professional dancers dressed in traditional costumes to skilled martial artists. I parked my bike off to side to enjoy them with the rest of the crowd. Half way through the performances, the rain began to come down harder.
No problem, everybody had umbrellas—except me. In spite of this I maintained a spirit of optimism. After all, I had a bike helmet, and a water-resistant puffer jacket and two other layers of clothing on. So I went with the flow, of water that is. I continued to circle around the grounds taking photos of all the colorful events and people. I stopped at a booth offering a free sample of food. I chose the spicy salmon curry. I was having so much fun I forgot about the time. I had about an hour to ride home, change into dry clothes, leaving enough time to attend an art show of our granddaughter Lyla's pre-school class—a collaborative effort. There’s a saying: “Man plans. God laughs." This time I was laughing along with God. Not bad for a rainy day.
