A Storm

I was awoken today to what sounded like major construction going on just next door. After a second or two of grogginess I realized that it was pitch black outside, and that there was a truly incredible storm taking place. For those of you who know me, there are few things I find more exciting then a really powerful storm, so of course, I threw on some clothes, grabbed my camera and bolted for the observatory deck and garden on the seventh floor of my building.

What greeted me when I arrived was one of the most awe inspiring sights I have ever witnessed. I speak the truth when I tell you that this was the great-grandfather of all thunder storms, and I was right in the middle of its fury. Lightning was striking every couple of seconds, actually hitting buildings around me, and the thunder that rolled off was instantaneous with the strikes, no time differential at all. The noise this storm made was, is…indescribable. I tried taking a video with my camera, saw lightning strike one of the buildings across the way and the thunder that followed made me jump like a…well…I’m not sure of the appropriate metaphor here, but I jumped. It must be true that there is no noise on earth that can compete with a thunder-crash when it occurs right next to you.

Rain was being driven down, sideways, left, right—I swear at one point that it was being forced back upwards by a particularly malevolent blast of wind. Within minutes, the deck of the seventh floor was awash, within half an hour the streets below resembled a town under a flash flood. We are talking about up to a foot of water in some places, laid down in less than thirty minutes by this storm.

After a while, somewhat cowed by the unrelenting fury, (and given that I was getting wet), I returned to my apartment to listen as the storm slowly moved away from my neighborhood to wreak havoc in another part of the city. I imagine it will continue to rage against Bangkok, selfish in its own right for life, until grudgingly it subsides, loosing energy and fervor, before dissipating completely—not without having profoundly changed all in it’s path.
Even now, sirens are reverberating through the city as emergency personnel rushes around, no doubt restoring power, fixing electrical lines, assisting those caught on the streets by the flooding, and returning some semblance of order to this chaotic city. I’m sure there is some profound lesson or wisdom to be gained through the occurrence of this storm—I’ve been trying to discover it while composing this entry. I feel like it’s there on the edge of my mind, and that I’m understanding and accepting some message subconsciously even though I may not realize what it is. Ah well, enough for one day. I shall remain satisfied having been able to observe such a magnificent and humbling event. Love to my friends and family, as always