In the Midwest, we have these incredible thunder storms that seriously march in with a raging of the message that the spring season has arrived. I think the season is called spring because of the way in which the weather bounces from something that is easy and quiet, warm and sunny, to frightfully chilly, stormy, and life threatening. BOING!
The day had been balmy. I didn’t believe the forecasters as they fretted about tornado storms moving our direction late in the day. I enjoyed being outside and loving the garden I have created, hearing the birds sing…. relaxing but also watching those ambitious bunny rabbits and squirrels snack on my monkey grass. Good thing I believe in the abundance of Mother Nature and use that belief to manage my feelings of stress which prompt my thinking perhaps I should shoot those creatures. Paint ball guns?
The hours pass and I see the change in the sky as the black clouds roll in swiftly and the atmosphere changes to cool and very breezy. Within an hour, there are high winds followed by a weird calm, and then torrential downpour of sheets of rain, lots of strong winds that sway the trees. My memory plays that odd lullaby about when the bow breaks…..
As I hear the municipal sirens, I think about heading to my basement and elect not to. I sit in my kitchen, back from the windows but looking out at the activity and finding beauty in the power of it all — the raging storm. People in trouble often come to me and tell me that their insides are like a raging storm – it frightens them. Maybe I should have them do as I am – sit and watch it. Allow yourself to appreciate the manner in which things get all churned up and dead limbs fall and loose branches fly. There is the possibility of damage but it is not within each storm; eventually everything gets repaired and life moves along.
The inner most of a human has a pendulum that swings. This change in our affect, our thoughts, our emotions, all makes for what is the fantastic voyage. Allow it.
During the intermission of the rain, I opened a window and smelled the fresh clean air, allowed the cool breeze to swirl around in my room, and occasionally a bolt of lightning illuminated the dark. I felt no fear, only faith…. which brought me calm. Life is good.
