Thunder and Lightening

It is thundering here, and lightening follows. I love summer storms.

When I was a foolish young thing in my early 20's, I lived in Denver - the land of huge skies and breathtaking storms. I had a friend who was an equal storm-lover. At the first sign of a major sky-show I would call him and we would meet in Cheeseman Park near his home. While there we would sit in the middle of an open grassy area and watch the summer storm swirl around us.

We were God's own idiots I am sure.

But it was a wonderful experience to immerse in Nature's terribleness and grandeur and to just let it merge with us. To smell the charge of ozone in the lightening-creased air -- to watch clouds race in the relentless gusts of wind -- to feel the pelting slash of rain on warm skin -- to hear and feel the great, deep booms of thunder coming from unexpected directions. It was sheer bliss.

They say that turkeys are stupid because they do not know when to come in out of the rain -- that they will stay outside drinking in the rain until they drown. I do not know if they are stupid or just overcome with the wonder of it all, caught up in the storm so fully that they can no longer seperate enough of themselves to feel fear.

I love that I had that passion in me. Tonight I may go watch the storm from the shelter of my screened in porch. I'm an older turkey now. I've developed a passion for staying alive. But the call of the storm is never far away...