Beauty in the Storm

Lightning flashed! A startling clap of thunder followed immediately. The rain was nearly as thunderous as the thunder itself. The wind blew the plant stand over that held my fuschia and fern on my porch. I watched the scene unfold from the comfort of my living room window. The storm itself was beautiful; the effects somewhat annoyed me, mainly because I did not inherit the green thumb both of my parents apparently possessed. It was a struggle to keep the plants alive on a normal day, let alone being abused by a storm.

I went out to fix my plants, setting them upright until the storm passed, instead of rehanging them. The storm was even more beautiful in person. The humidity felt good on my dry skin. The aroma of the rain filled my nostrils. The wind embraced me in our little alcove. “I need to bring Mikaela out here!” I said out loud to myself.

She was sitting safely in the middle of the living room surrounded by her toys. She saw me and flapped her arms up and down, making little “Mmm” grunts–a gesture that said, “Pick me up, please!” The grunting was stage 2 of her patience and politeness scale. She’s 8 months old and hasn’t really figured out crawling yet (I’m in no rush to hurry her along because I know as soon as she does get going, there will be no stopping her!). I swoop her up and ask, “Wanna go outside?”

She looks at the door as if she already knows.

We stand outside on the little porch of our apartment. The wind blows a little rain on us but we don’t mind. I talk to her about the weather. We reach out to interrupt the water falling from the roof. I help her splash in the puddles forming. It’s a fun 15 minutes of discovery!

As we stand there in silence, Mikaela on my hip, taking in the beauty of the storm, I ponder the metaphorical storm raging in my life. It’s strange to think how differently I treat it. I worry. I stress out. I experience some anxiety and fear. I get so caught up in the doom and gloom that I forget to take a step back and see the beauty of it. I forget that, because of the storm, I will have growth. The grass will be a little greener and flowers will bloom. Sure, some weeds will pop up, but if I stay on top of them, they won’t take over.

By noticing the beauty, I find peace. This peace gives me the strength to face the storm with confidence.

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