Thursday, May 16, 2013

Thunder & a KICK!

On Thursday of last week we had our first spring thunderstorm in the city. It was one of those days that started off a bit gloomy, then brightened into sunny skies. Right around the time I was preparing to leave work I happened to look out the window of my 24th floor office and could see the dark clouds rolling in over Cambridge toward the city. I was happy I'd brought my umbrella.

Luckily for me, the subway (T) that I take to Brian's office is right below my building so I can avoid any unfriendly weather quite easily. Once I get to Cambridge however, it's a bit of a different story. In a way similar to downtown Boston, downtown Cambridge is a bit of a wind tunnel so umbrella or no umbrella if it's raining, you're going to get wet! My walk from the T to Brian's door was a bit treacherous - cars splashing water all over the sidewalk, people trying to prevent their umbrellas from turning inside out, cyclists and runners putting extra umph into their sprints home - but I made it literally just as the real rain started coming down! It was as if a tsunami fell from the sky! The phrase "it's raining cats and dogs*" (which never really made sense to me) definitely fit that afternoon's downpour!

As I settled into Brian's desk to wait for him to finish up the first flash of lightening happened. I immediately started counting; "one one-thousand, two one-thousand" and so on until I reached 9 and the thunder clapped ...the storm was still nine miles away. Thank goodness too because I hate thunderstorms.

When I was a little girl I used to go to sleep-over camp in NH, one summer we had a terrible thunder and lightening storm and the May pole in the playground right outside my cabin got struck. Since then I just haven't been a fan of thunderstorms! But I digress...

Over the next hour the storm changed personalities quite a few times; the wind and rain would die down and then rapidly increase again. Just before 6pm another downpour came and along with it a huge flash followed almost immediately by the thunder... I didn't even have time to count. And then... KICK!

The nugget, like his momma, is clearly afraid of thunder and lightening! For the next 5 minutes he was bouncing around like crazy as if he was trying to find the best place to hide from the storm. In my cliché (and dorky) way I kept rubbing my stomach telling him he was okay that it was just a thunderstorm and nothing to be afraid of. I'm not sure who I was trying to convince, him or myself but I'm sure he could sense my own feelings about it. We had a little conversation that night - he and I - about being each other's "Thunder-Buddies". If you've ever seen the movie Ted you know exactly what I'm talking about!

It's funny to think that this little guy is taking on a personality of his own already (and maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part) and I can't wait to see which of mine (and Brian's) idiosyncrasies he inherits!

Today there is no fear of a storm - the sun is shining high in the sky and it's going to be about 80 degrees - I'm certainly regretting not taking the personal day I had planned! I hope you get out to enjoy a bit of the weather wherever you are!
 
* It's Raining Cats & Dogs

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