Hello Everyone,

First of all I would like to point out that although marvelous and spectacular and fascinating and everything else that it is, lightning is dangerous. Just needed to get that out of the way and to point out that there doesn’t need to be storm clouds for there to be lightning. In certain climates there are such things as “dry lightning” and this phenomenon exits in some areas more than others. However I am sure that we or at least most of us are all aware of the precautions necessary when the dangers of lightning increases and how to prevent any accidents and decrease the risk. If not you can find some good information on the Internet by looking up the National Weather Service or the Center for Disease Control and Prevention under “lightning-safety.” Or simply follow the links:

http://www.cdc.gov/features/lightning-safety/

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/lightning/resources/lightning-safety.pdf

Be safe out there this storm season.

Back to the Eerie Bit:

Isn’t there something about the flashes of lightning across the sky or all around that just sends chills down your spine? Do you think it’s because we know the risk factors or do you think it is because of the quick piercing flash of light. For me, especially as I got older it was both. Taking a small arch off of a metal porch when I was younger made me realize a little bit about the extreme power that a strike might possess. The little bit of that full lightning touchdown was enough to make my arm go stiff and get the feeling of being smacked by a baseball bat while all the blood in my body went into a weird chilling, awakening feeling like an extreme head rush. Sounds fun at first except for the baseball bat part but it hurts later. Still to this day when I see the flashes it’s not out of that fear alone because there is an eerie feeling of the mortality in myself that makes me realize how powerful nature truly is. I can imagine that its evil forces at work in the skies like when I was younger or perhaps the work of more powerful beings. It’s all open for interpretation on how or what someone imagines. Still even if the lightning isn’t enough there is usually its friend right there with it. Thunder.

Thunder:

The thunder is probably what gets me the most with that eerie feeling. Maybe it’s because we so often associate it with the oncoming storms or the threat of the lightning. For me it’s neither. It is probably, for me anyways, the basis of horror movies and other such cases that always mix the thunder of a storm into their story. It adds to the sensation like in the case of a haunted house. You’re in a house that’s possessed or haunted, but you don’t want to go outside and venture into the threatening storm either for the sake of your well-being. Leaves you in a nice choice of options. One physical, the storm with the tremendous thundering thunder constantly reminding you that it’s there, or the ghost or possession inside. Maybe the ghost might just possess your body or maim you but the storm as the capability of killing you and as humans we know this so like in the horror movies maybe in real life we would risk the possible chances of staying inside the house.

Still I have to say that in all honestly I would go into the storm but just wanted to give you all some food for thought in this eerie for thought segment.

Thanks for Reading,

Joshua Crane Dowidat