The scent of rain

Last night I curled up on our bed to listen to the rain, almost straight after supper, and promptly fell asleep--before 8:30.

I LOVE stormy weather (always have, since I was a child) and was devastated to hear of a South African visiting Canada who was struck by lightning recently.

Despite being fully dressed, and in spite of the thunder rumbling through my open window, I slept soundly ... and awoke eleven hours later, refreshed and alert for the first time in days.

Late last night a friend wrote: "When that thunderstorm came by tonight, did you smell it? It was just the most cool, clear and alive smell in the air. I could have drunk it by the bucketful." {Thanks, EGM.} A beautiful description, and yes, I find the scent of rain and the electric power of lightning and the familiar grumble of thunder intoxicating. I wilt in the heat of our all-too-brief summer, and the rainstorm was just what my body needed to fully recover.

Today I'm hard at work, back in the swing of things, catching up on some long overdue projects and attempting to meet the deadlines of new ones ... while listening to the gentle demands of my writer's soul. And paying attention.