The Soothing Effects of Storms

I’m at my keyboard looking out the window at the partly sunny sky. I don’t particularly like sunny skies. I’m happier when it’s overcast. Maybe I’m really just a curmudgeon at heart. Suddenly the sunshine is gone and it’s grey. The branches on the trees are beginning to gently sway and there is definitely a rustling sound.

I get up and open the patio door only to be met with a blast of refreshing, cool wind; a relief from the earlier stifling heat. My spirits begin to lift.

I close the patio door and sit back down. Just as I begin to type, a crack of thunder goes through me. Then, another crack follows; lightening flashes; its time to get off the computer. I shut it down.
The dog comes into the room whining and shaking. He’s deathly afraid of storms. We got him when he was about four. Maybe when he was a puppy he was left out in the weather; he’s a hunting dog so it’s possible.

I hear taps starting to resonate off the deck. It has started to rain. The pace and size of the drops pick up while the wind becomes stronger. The branches are virtually staying nearly vertical now and the lightening is frequent. The thunder is louder; more annoying.

I turn the television on. There is a storm watch for our county; “no kidding”. But, then, it is changed to a severe storm warning and a tornado watch.

Suddenly the enjoyment of the change in weather stops and worry sets in. The same worry I have every year at this time of year when the cool air is constantly moving in to our over-heated climate and making the water and air that surround us do crazy things.

At the height of the storm I turn the television off as well. I turn off the lights and light a candle. There is something soothing about facing the storm on natural terms.

I sit on the sofa as the lightening makes my silhouette dance off the wall. It periodically lightens the room in an eerie glow. I lean back and close my eyes trying to become one with the storm.

I’m aware of silence. Is it the quiet before the “real storm” or, is the storm over?

I look outside and while it’s still dark, the sky has taken a lighter shade which indicates that the storm is over.

I get back on my computer because I’m still in the mood to write. The outside dimness is just the right tone for my mood.

I’ve had storms in my life; I’ve stormed around; there can be different kinds of “elemental storms”. I’ll just write about “my storm”

It was one of a billion storms that have occurred in the history of the World affecting billions of people. But today, this storm was for me; it was special. This storm heightened my love of life. In fact, it helped let me know I’m alive.