The Eye of the Storm

The weather around here was forecasted to be pretty bad today, I heard they even got tornadoes near Guelph and Waterloo. The past few days have been blistering hot, so the winds and downpour tonight came as somewhat of a relief.

I was sitting in my living room, watching TV, when at about 8:30 the whole sky outside darkened instantly. I stepped outside to see what was up, and I could see, directly above me, the dividing line between a clear blue sky and thick, black thunderclouds. The storm was moving in quickly, and in about 15 minutes it passed. But in that quarter of an hour, I couldn’t believe how rapidly the weather changed.

The first thing I noticed was that the wind started to pick up. The trees in my backyard started rustling, and I put the lawn chairs that were out in the storage shed. I stood there, watching the clouds move closer as the wind kept getting faster. I thought I saw funnel clouds forming once or twice, only to be swept away by the moving mass of clouds before they got a chance to do any harm.

The first few drops of rain were a welcome change to the humid and sticky air that was around me, even with all the wind. As the trees continued to sway and bend, and small waves formed in my pool, tiny drops of rain fell sporadically on my face. Yet, this was only an indication of what was to come.

Suddenly, the rain stopped. The waves in my pool slowed to mere ripples. The trees stopped swaying, in direct contrast to the swirling, churning clouds overhead.

A flash of lightning, followed by a thunderous boom, summoned the the torrential downpour which was to ensue for the next few minutes. Rain fell in sheets, like a bucket of water dumped over an unsuspecting friend. The wind howled, and the air was filled with creaking and thunderclaps. I stood on my porch, sheltered from the downpour, being subject occasionally to a spray of mist from each gust of wind.

Amid the lightning and heavy rain, I saw a small patch of blue in the dark thunderclouds. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the storm ceased. It represented a metaphor for me; I realized just how volatile our lives can be, and that you should try and enjoy every moment, even if you’re in the middle of a storm.

Sam Nabi