True Beauty

Rabbits scamper. The breeze blows strong, bringing ever more clouds above my head as I walk home, bringing the exciting threat of rain. It's so strong it might carry me off with it. I have indeed lost weight in the past six months. 

The sun is hidden behind the clouds, but a few fingers escape from the west to light up the east, where it is clearly raining in the distance, and a bright rainbow has formed on the horizon.

The first couple of drops fall, the first fulfillment of the promise. I give up trying to keep my hair in place, it's no use, the wind must have its way. I reach home, and my ears begin to hurt - the change in sound is so sudden and so drastic.

The blinds are open, but the sky is so dark, that even at this time of evening, I need to turn the lights on. I cooked the previous evening, so I can enjoy the weather today. I heat up my food, pull out a refreshing green bottle of Reed's Original Ginger Brew, and lean back on the couch.

It begins to drizzle. The drizzle becomes a downpour, and the downpour becomes a storm. I have never seen rain like this in this country. Huge drops hitting the ground so hard the ground might be groaning with pain.

I open the window, mesmerized by the magic of the night. It is dark enough now to justify calling it night. The ground is covered as though it were the beginnings of a flood - so much water is being bestowed by the skies. Little streams form and run towards the nearest drain. I might have been in Mumbai, had there not been this efficient a storm drain system.

Hard sounds become harder. This is no ordinary rain. It is now hailing; the first wave of hail becomes water as soon as it touches the ground, but the next wave retains its icy structure, and pretty soon the ground is covered in ice, piling up in high ground and flowing with the streams in lower ground. I feel for the cars left out in the open to battle the weather.

The hail is relentless. The pipes from the roof are right outside my window, collecting precipitation from the roof and guiding it to the lips of the thirsty earth. They sound like they are being broken, so intense are the little chunks of ice now hurtling from above.

And then the first roar of Zeus. Such power! Hera must have joined in for today's journey.

With every roar comes a flash of the white whip. It's close enough now that it seems the whip might strike the ground. If it did, we would receive the gift of fire, and Prometheus could cease his labours. 

I press myself against the window, toying with the idea of walking out into the night. Just for a second, maybe. Just for a moment, so that I can experience for myself the might of Nature. Such terror, such force, such strength!

We cower in the presence of one more mighty than ourselves, but at the same time there is a strong attraction to such a one, a strange fascination both beautiful and terrible.

On the thunder roars. On the lightning flashes. On the wind howls. On the rain lashes. On the hail clatters. On and on does Nature display her majesty. No thunderstorm is like any other.

And as slowly as it approached, so gracefully does the storm fade away to the mountains of the west. We've had our turn, and now it's time for others to witness Nature's exquisite grace.

Best Flight Attendant Ever

This was the flight on Southwest Airlines from Denver to Los Angeles.

"The cabin lights will now be dimmed for the duration of the flight. If you need to turn on a reading light, use the button above your head - it's the one with the picture of a little hairy lightbulb on it. If you press the button with the picture of a flight attendant on it... we will not be turned on."

Plenty of such goodies the entire flight. So awesome!