I've always felt the spring and early summer months on the plains contain a very specific type of energy. Perhaps it was this energy that really solidified my passion for the weather, particularly storms. I was first introduced to this energy during my early teenager years playing baseball for a local league.
I recall the nervous excitement I felt as a single cumulonimbus towered in the distance. In my mind, these clouds contained infinite possibilities. Not just for the outcome of the storm, but my existence; My future seemed to be carried in the air - contained in the process of these storms growing. At such a young age I had no real vision of what the future was, let alone what it would hold for me. But, I could sense something profound was occurring during the evolution of these storms. Life was unfolding. I wasn't yet aware as rain began falling from this distant towering storm, that a path was being set before me.
I still get the same nervous excitement back then every storm season. The energy, the possibilities, are timeless.
This piece captures the feelings and sensations I experienced during those days on the ball field. The smell of ragweed blown in from over the fields of tall grass. A dusty gravel road glowing in the mid afternoon sun. The infinite, towering before me. Life unfolding.
