Thunderstorm

Hello again, Imaginary Reader. Yes, it's been a little while. I've started to post a couple of times now, but I keep losing interest because I can't decide what to post about.

But right now, we're in the middle of a thunderstorm. I love thunderstorms. I think I always have. I don't ever recall being afraid of the thunder or lightning, and to be honest, I have trouble understanding why anyone would be (with the exception of animals, especially small ones, like my dog who's afraid of air vents). Unless you're dumb enough to go dance around in with a metal pole in the middle of an empty field, you really don't have anything to worry about your personal safety. Just stay inside or in your car, and you'll be fine.

I can understand being worried for your stuff in a thunderstorm. We've all unplugged our computers (yay laptop battery!), and Dad even unplugged our pretty entertainment system. And yes, thunderstorms can damage stuff. I've seen our yard sprinkled with shingles that have blown off our roof--although not in a while, because we got a better roof. Sure, if you've got rotten luck, a tree can fall on your house or car and cause all sorts of expensive problems. But in the twenty-one years that I've been alive, the worst we've had happen is that our back-up sump pump exploded, which had absolutely no negative affects until our main sump pump broke about ten years later, but that's our own fault for not getting the back-up replaced.

So when I started hearing the rumble of thunder, it was soothing, and when my bedroom lights flickered, it made me grin.

There's power in thunderstorms--a reminder to respect Mother Nature. To me, the energy of a thunderstorm is contagious. Lightning shows, when you've got a good seat to see them, are incredible and gorgeous. Dad and I love to watch them. He still talks about "that one time" years ago when we drove to a field a few blocks away and got some great video of lightning from some storms on the other side of the state border. I have fond memories of a family dinner at T.G.I. Friday's by the windows, oohing and ahh-ing with that whole side of the restaurant as we watched the lightning. And then, my first year of college, we had three nights in a row of thunder-snow in February, and I had a great view from my dorm room.

There's not much lightning right now. The thunder is quieter, and the wind has calmed down. The lights haven't flickered in a while. But you know what? I hope the storm picks up again.

Where I'm sitting, I can see a tree that's all wet on one side and dry as bone on the other. Ain't Mother Nature neat?