Aren't you scared of lightning?

Like most of California, Oakland has been besieged by rain this week. Freakin' buckets of the stuff, sometimes mixed with its dastardly cousin the hail pellet. Not pleasant for land based creatures but not so bad for aquatic minded folk {interesting aside, both of my hobbies (sailing & swimming) are done rain or shine}.

Yesterday morning, after swimming my yards, I was in the clubhouse drinking my celebratory cup of coffee when a woman asked me, "what's it like to swim in the rain?" I didn't have a good answer, I think I mumbled something like, "you don't really notice it .... even though I thought somebody was splashing me at one point today."

But then she dropped the bombshell, "aren't you scared of lightning?" The club has a big sign posted that the pool has to be evacuated in the case of lightning but then again, I'm not really sure I'd see the lightning while swimming so there's very little chance I'd even know to leave the pool. So I told her the truth, "well, I am scared of lightning because I know I'm supposed to be but really it seems pretty darned unlikely." My other hobby, sailing, involves floating on water with a 40 foot lightning rod attached to the boat, how could it be worse in a pool surrounded by huge oak trees?

So I guess I now have to figure out if I am scared of lightning. I know my daughter's practices are halted during lightning. I know my club's insurance policy makes them post signs that the pool must be evacuated. But I also know that it's exceedingly rare to have lightning in the Oakland Hills and that by the time it happens I'd already be dead. So I don't think I am. For now.