Summer Thunder

As I type this entry, it is raining...no pouring...outside.  An hour ago it was sunny and humid...now flashes of lightening and booms of thunder rattle the windows.  The chickens have run for cover and all is eerily quite and calm while a storm picks up outside.  I love NC summers.  I love that storms can pop out of the sky in a heartbeat and then disappear with a flash.  In fact, I am willing to bet that by the time I finish writing, the storm will be calming, steam rising from the ground, and life will resume as the summer evening moves forward.  I love the smell of summer rains.  The air before, metallic, ozone, distinctive.  And the air after, earthy, clean, fresh.      

Thunderstorms remind me of my childhood.  Of course many things remind me of my childhood, but being that it is currently storming, these are the ones I will share.  I remember dashing into the house to escape the inevitable down pour that follows the first crash of thunder.  Hoping the rain would continue after the danger of a lightening strike had passed in order to safely play in the puddles.  I recall sitting by the windows (but not too closely, minding the wishes of my mother) and counting the minutes between thunder and lightening to determine the distance of the storm.  Most of all I remember the excitement and fear of waiting for that next explosion of thunder, knowing it was coming but never really being prepared for the start it would give me.  

I also remember the comfort of my parents bed in the middle of the night when a summer storm would wake me from my dreams.  The feeling of this love and support from my parents, who undoubtedly preferred for me to sleep in my own bed, is brought back by every thunderstorm I have encountered as an adult.  Of course I am sometimes still startled by thunderstorms, and I sure don't need to sleep in my parents bed now, but the heart pumping crashes of a raging storm often serve as a trigger to this precious memory.

Thunderstorms are often nature's outcast, crashing pool parties, ruining picnics, and weddings.  I have had my fair share of rants at thunderstorms, but have yet to meet one that doesn't conjure memories of days past.  So I will forgive thunderstorms for their bad reputation, just as long as they continue to provide me with memories I cherish.

*As I predicted, I am finishing this post, I hear quiet and distant rumblings as the storm has moved past.