I’m up with a bit of an upset stomach. Plus, I’m feeling unsettled because of so much on my mind.

I was in the upstairs bathroom when I heard raindrops smacking the skylight. I love the sound of rain. I love thunder and lightning. Because of the dense oak trees in the front yard, I don’t get to hear the rain hitting my bedroom window.

I’m not sure why, but the sound of thunderstorms and rain have always been soothing to me. Maybe because nature’s turmoil makes me feel connected via my own, seemingly constant, turmoil.

As a kid, growing up in the Tampa Bay area, I lived through a lot of storms. Most of our storms happened in the mid-afternoon during the Summer. But, when they happened at night I loved drifting off to sleep listening to the wind and rain and thunder.

I love the oaks-they are my favorite tree-especially live oaks. That’s what we have out front. They sprawl and spread their roots far and wide. I just wish the dense branches didn’t keep the rain from slapping my window.

When I’m lucky, and find a decent place to move into, I’m going to make sure I can hear the rain on the windows.