Last night in Seattle

Early this morning I woke to lightning illuminating Kyle and I's bedroom followed by the inevitable boom of thunder. The thunder was awesome. It was the kind of thunder that surprises you because it makes your bones jitter inside your body. The first crack sounds and then it only escalates. Each time there's some unfounded anxiety that it will escalate to a point that it... I don't know! That's what creates the anxiety! Will it... wake the kids? knock you over? make the ground explode? break a window? fall on you? I don't understand it but for some millisecond of time anxiety is created and then it is gone and what's left is exhilaration. At least for me. I love this stuff.

Before going to bed, whilst locking up the house, I witnessed eery flickers of light down the hallway, up the staircase, in the entryway... finally it occurred to me that it was coming from outside. I beckoned Kyle to the front stoop and there I sat curled forward between his legs with his arms wrapped around me and his chin resting on my shoulder. With wonder I waited... anticipating that there'd be another flash coming soon. I wanted to wake the kids and experience it with them in hopes that they would find it as breathtaking as I did. But I wouldn't dare. I felt like I was dating again, unfortunately for Kyle, without the temptation to go upstairs and make out. I was so tired.