The Storm

There is a moment, before a storm, of complete serenity and peace.

Today, the weather started off cool, and when I went to lunch the wind was picking up, reminding me that it is, after all, December in Wyoming. By the time I returned from lunch, it was an entirely different story.
The wind was howling and cutting like a frozen knife through every crack in my coat and scarf. The trees were swaying and the squirrels were racing for safety. The temperatures were dropping rapidly and I was sure if I looked to the sky I would see Pecos Bill in the clouds riding into town on the western blowing winds trying to knock my body over. I felt the cold in my bones.

When I left work, I braced myself for the same signs of a storm coming, but I got lucky and experienced the rare calm before the storm.

So, there is a moment, a moment before the storm, a secret moment between the human and the sky. A moment where the wind doesn't blow, the branches don't sway, the animals don't strain against the force trying to push them down.  A moment, dare I say, when heaven reaches down and touches the earth and the air silently whispers to all who will listen, "Go home, I'm about to unleash a beautiful monster on you."