Storms

Right now our house, which normally gives us a splendid view of downtown Austin and the sprawling Texas hill country, is shrouded in thick, grey clouds.  Wind is whipping around, shaking our trees and smashing sheets of hard, wet rain against our windows.  The thunder is a constant, low grumbling; occasionally a massive crash will send me running for my mama and causes the hair on my arms and neck to stand on end.  The flashes of lightening are bright and menacing in the dark, purpleish sky.

I have a love/hate relationship with storms.

On one hand, there is nothing better than a good dose of rain and thunder to make you feel like snuggling.  In fact, right now I've created a little nest in my bed with a journal (to craft this blog post), The Negotiator by Dee Henderson; Calm, Cool, and Adjusted by Kristin Billerbeck; the Pioneer Woman (LOVE.  I am waking up early tomorrow morning to make her French Breakfast Puffs.  Besides being chock-full of other delicious recipes, the whole entire book is just so dadgum cute!  I'm slightly obsessed with her at the moment.  Just a little bit.); So Long, Insecurity by Beth Moore (Need I say Moore?  Get it?!  Do you get it?!); and a flashlight in case...

the lights go out! (Insert scary music here.)

Because there's always The Other Hand.  Storms also make me a tad nervous.  Never lacking in the imagination department, I tend to conjure up images of Storm Chaser reruns and end up staring anxiously out of the window, biting my nails and pestering my family with questions such as,

"Should we unplug the computer?"
"How about the TV?"
"Can you even unplug our TV?"
"Do you think it's safe for us to be so close to those windows?"

Then I usually try and remember if we're supposed to go into our bathtub or hall closet in case of tornado.  By the time I've figured out the quickest route to both locations, though, my dear family shuts me down.  They make sure I don't do this for longer than ten minutes or so, and my mom (who is NOT afraid of storms, having grown up in the Houston area where tropical storms are common) tells me to relax.

So I do.  I return to my first hand - the love portion of my relationship with storms - and snatch up the nearest book, relishing the safety of my home.

Whatever weather you may be facing right now - whether sunshine or a tornado - take it from my mom and "do not be anxious about anything"!  Enjoy life and look on the bright side of every situation.

Unless, of course, you really are in a tornado.

In which case, you should run for the nearest bathtub.

Or was that hall closet?

Oh, dear...