Monday, October 14, 2013
A flash of happiness
When I flew to Denver last week, I got to watch a lightning storm from my plane window, and it was one of the most awe-inspiring things I've seen in a long time. The bank of clouds was at the same altitude as the plane, and far enough away that I could see a huge swath of clouds. The stars shone above, and in the clouds, the lightning danced. The flashes happened fast, several times a second. Sometimes they made the cloud glow, sometimes a bolt was almost visible. I looked around at the people around me, but they were asleep or reading their books, and no one seemed to be glued to the window like me. It has been quite a while since I felt, even for a moment, happy that I was experiencing life. I used to feel that way all the time, and I trust that, eventually, it'll be a regular part of my life again.
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7 comments:
On a family trip in Kentucky, rain chased us out of the campsite one evening. After driving around for a bit, we finally just parked and watched the lightning going in huge streaks all across the sky. I was single or low-double digit years, and it's still one of my most enduring memories. Sounds like you got to see a great show.
You will. You will
I find those phenomenon terrifying and beautiful when I am viewing them from a plane.
The human spirit is resilliant, you will make it!
Our planet is so beautiful and we do get inspiration from experiencing its different moods. It will become part of your life again.
Yes. You will. It's that beauty that has always made me hang on in my darkest of moments. I had a moment like you described in October 2001 (6 months after my husband had died, one month after 9-11). That was the year of a fantastic fall meteor shower. I could see the meteors from my backyard, they were so bright. I found myself driving around town, trying to find a darker, better spot from which to view them. I lay in a church parking lot for about an hour, then I drove over to the national park and parked outside the gate... It was so absolutely beautiful. It caused me to reflect about how painfully beautiful the world was while at the same time life could be so harsh. But I really felt a break in the clouds of my thoughts. I even thought about how I wished my husband could see the meteors... and then I thought maybe he could... It's one of those nights that always stand out in my mind from that year.
What a wonderful experience. As you witnessed from your plane mates - those experiences can easily be missed. Sunday night - the last night of our Amsterdam daughter and families visit - we sat outside on the front patio and watched a beautiful sunset and I was reminded that I should do that more often.
Thanks for sharing this beautiful moment.
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