Capricious nature

This was the view to the south when Ellie and I set out on our walk this evening.

I hadn't glanced north. Didn't want to see the dark roiling clouds gathering in the northern skies.

We started walking, me determined to get in our evening stroll. Ellie excited to get her constitutional in.

There was no wind ruffling the water. No breeze to disturb the leaves.

For the first five minutes that is.
We headed east, blue quickly becoming dark. We passed a couple sitting on a park bench along the ridge. "It's fabulous to watch the storm move in," the woman exclaimed as Ellie and I walked past.

In front of us, walking into the east, the storm was barely visible. But thunder reverberated across the sky and I thought of turning back, but Ellie was prancing and I was exalting in the evening light turning dark.

And then the wind picked up. Whipped the waters, rippling in continuous motion across the gun metal grey surface of the reservoir below. A branch cracked and fell to the ground behind us. The leaves rustled angrily as we passed, the wind's capricious dance stirring them into angry response.

Finally, I turned back, Ellie prancing beside me, we walked into the storm. The wind whipped around my face, rain began to pelt against my skin. It turned to hail, frozen pebbles of water pummeling my head and Ellie's fur. I thought of taking refuge under a tree, but feared the lightening that flashed in the distance.

I kept moving west into the storm.

It was wild and raw and exciting. Rain drenched hair, cotton twill pants soaked with rain flapping against my ankles. Ellie kept shaking herself as we walked, almost ran along the ridge. I laughed, a burst of pure joy escaping my lungs and Ellie looked at me, startled.

And then, as quickly as it appeared, the storm rolled into the south leaving behind a sodden world embraced by a rainbow that spanned the sky.

Yes! Life is delicious! An exhilarating dance of capricious nature luring us into all kinds of weather. It doesn't matter what storm may roll in, as long as we keep seeing the rainbows breaking through the sunlight filtering through the clouds, life will expand in ever widening circles of joy.


And just to give you a smile, this is the self-portrait I tried to take with my IPhone of Ellie and me after the storm. Rain-soaked, we sure were happy. (though she wasn't too happy to have to lie on a blanket by the front door to dry off!)