Inspired by Nature

One of the times I remember being most in awe of my surroundings while travelling was the following:

I was in Italy camping on the side of an olive grove high above a little Italian town on Lake Garda. Looking out the door of my tent I could see the whole town twinkling below as dusk began to fall. This place was situated at the edge of a lake at the base of a mountain which loomed over everything - a really beautiful part of the world. It was August so there was THUNDER in the air - I remember sitting at the door of the tent smoking a j and soaking up the heat.

As night fell, thunder started to roll in the sky. It got closer and closer and suddenly there was this enormous crack and lightning lit up the whole place. The mountain, which had all but disappeared in the darkness, was completely illuminated - the best thunder and lightning storm EVER went on for the next half an hour. Fantastic flashes of light lit up the sky and I saw the place in a completely different light. It was like nature's very own fireworks display. It definitely surpassed any real fireworks show I've ever seen! Eventually the thunder began to roll off into the distance and everything quietened down again. I felt so "charged" or something by the electricity in the air - exhilirated.

And then the rain came...that very heavy, wet, wet rain that falls after thunder. It quenched the energy in the air and in me, and I fell asleep listening to the sound of it drumming against the tent.