Long-awaited Rain

For at least two weeks now I have been longing for a good thunderstorm.
I was planning to go to bed early tonight.
My thunderstorm just began about 15 minutes ago.
I'm not going to bed yet.

There is something about thunderstorms that I just purely LOVE! It is something I cannot quite describe, which isn't terribly surprising since I lose my capacity to articulate things well rather easily at times.

I find it comforting. It gives me a sense of relief. I wish it were cooler so I could wrap myself in a long sleeve T-shirt, shorts, and a blanket as I lie on the couch contemplating and enjoying life. It'd be rather wonderful. The rain splattering the porch, each drop a unique splash among the pattern of many. The thunder that rattles your very core and the lightning that reveals the entire night sky for that most brief moment of time only to let it all fall into the mystery of darkness once more. No matter where I am the thunderstorms remain the same. It is a constant in my life.

I love the small things of life. Several years ago I made a list of things that make me happy. I stuck it on my desk during a particularly trying semester to provide a much-needed smile during wee hours of the morning. Below I have reproduced (and modified) that list in part for the purpose of reminding myself of those small pick-me-ups that I tend to come by so easily.

Things that make me smile:
thunderstorms
sweatpants
long sleeve T-shirts
running shorts
soccer socks
one-handed cartwheels
belly-whomping in puddles
fog enclosing a harbor
sunrises/sunsets
flat water on the great lakes
Maddawg runs
prayers before races
singing
baking
pictures
people

But for now, I'll enjoy my thunderstorm and leave the other items for another day... :)