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Enjoy your stay Thanx for visiting |
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~ Thunderstorms ~
Ah yes, good old Mother Nature deciding to take up fireworks and her own version of pyrotechnics. She must have got off on a bad foot this morning to deliver us that storm. Somebody must have really ticked her off ! She decides to start a few forest fires and play havoc with the electricity in a few neighbourhoods, just because she's having a bad day. Well..... that's one story.
The truth is that thunderstorms and lightning are amazing to watch and really strike fear into everyone who watches. They are loud, they are strong, they are vicious, yet they are nothing to fear at all. They are part of life and I think they are spectacular. They happen when you least expect them, and they can ruin your day and ruin well-laid plans. They can be inspiration though, and I know more than a few people who just love watching thunderstorms and lightning from the seclusion of a cottage deck, or backyard veranda, or a car, just to watch Mother Nature in action. Some people are truly terrified of a storm, yet others instinctively want to watch a "big one".
A young child once told me that thunderstorms are God's way of getting mad and making bad people scared for all the bad things they have done. Another one told me that lightning is the angels playing with the electricity upstairs in the clouds. The thunder is God finding out and getting mad at the angels. Yet another child told me that thunderstorms and lightning are God's way of practising wrecking some of his own stuff. Most of the children I talked to, just thought thunderstorms were scary but pretty neat. I like that concept.
I remember a particularly severe thunderstorm not too long ago which reminded me of just how spectacular these storms can be. The clouds were so thick they were olive green. The moisture inside the clouds was extreme because you could see the wisps of rain underneath the clouds as they were headed my way. There were distant claps of thunder and the odd lightning bolt off in the distance. I thought to myself "All right ! This is going to be a good one". Sure enough, the rains came. Big big drops that made individual noises like a clap. Then the wall of water came. You could see it totally engulf houses down the street. All you could see was a pure sheet of white, nothing else. The rain was intense. The water was coming down so fast and hard that within five minutes the storm sewers and nearby roof rain gutters were overflowing and gushing at their seams. The rain kept coming and coming and just wouldn't stop. There was so much water you could see puddles in the grass (froggy ponds). Then a clap of thunder and a bolt of lightning. It was extremely close because the light and the sound were unbelievably intense and almost simultaneous. It made the ground shake and caused a large tree trunk to crack (you could hear it). You could feel the tingle in the air from the discharge of electricity from the bolt. Wow what a storm!
The storm was finally starting to subside but there were more claps of thunder and more bolts of lightning. I started the routine that I remembered playing when I was young. Watch for that bolt of lightning, then start counting; one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, five thousand, and so on, until you heard the thunder. I was taught, that for every five seconds of time that passes before you hear the thunder, the lightning bolt would be one mile away (ten seconds, two miles). Even to this very day, I don't know if this measurement is even close to being accurate, but it serves a purpose. I figure the lightning is moving away and that's all I want to know.
I then remember being outside right after the rain stopped. It was so serene and quiet and beautiful. Everything was alive with colour. All the trees had a new vibrancy and richness to them. The grass looked alive and smooth in its greenness. The birds were out again (I wondered where they had gone) and everything smelled wonderful and fresh. I thought of it as nature's washing machine. Maybe just a little heavy on the power rinse cycle.
If you have children, don't let them be afraid of any storm. All you have to do is hold them tight, hug them, watch the storm together and explain to them that it is just Mother Nature and it is nothing to be very scared about. You are with them so nothing can happen. You will see; your children will grow to love them as much as you do. Assure them that everything is okay.
This one thunderstorm made me forget all the stresses of the day and just for a moment it was as if I was one with nature. It was a wonderful feeling and one everyone should try to be part of. We don't get to experience thunderstorms too often. We should all try to remember to take some time out to watch them when they pass by. They are a beauty to behold and are a gift from above. They recharge the earth with life-giving electricity, and water. It is a way of restoring balance to the environment we live in. They are also one of nature's best stress relievers.
Pure and simple...
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- This Storyworx page updated May 10th, 1998 -