Powerful

After almost 10 full days without AC we are finally back to the land of dry, cool air!  The repair guy left around lunchtime today, and now we are playing catch up on the things we didn't do all week, like laundry, major cleaning, or even turning on our computers because they made the room so hot.

I have to admit that I will sort of miss having my windows flung wide open each night, even though everything in our house felt a bit like a soggy sock.  I loved hearing the deer moving through the tall grasses in the field next door, and realized that lots of things are on the move each night as we slumber away.  Some of them made noises that woke me and caused me to bolt to the window in hopes of seeing their silhouettes outlined by the full moon, but the creatures of the night are more stealthy, so I rarely saw whatever it was that screeched, hissed, or maybe even chortled during the wee hours of the morning.

I found I was drawn to simple things, like staying still and reading books, anything that didn't require much movement or heat generating electrical current.  And although we kept lights, computers, and tv watching to a bare minimum, outside there was plenty of electricity being generated.

Hot, humid days are often followed by strong storms in our area, and with the windows open it became a game of cat and mouse as to which way the wind would be blowing and which windows could remain open during each storm.  I love how the sky has a lavender cast to it, not sure why that is, but I haven't adjusted the color in either photo. 

And watching the storms became as interesting as any Pinterest board, and I felt myself wondering what it must have been like for those who lived long before television, computers, and smart phones.  In a way, being without AC, which allows us to close ourselves off to the outside world, became a lesson in paying attention to the beauty that resides right outside my door.

I'm still not sure I want to weather one of our typical summers without the benefit of hardworking AC, but it did leave me a little envious of those in the world who find a certain rhythm in the natural world that surrounds them and move through that world ever mindful of the glory of nature, and not an artificial schedule set up by man. 

I think I may have been gently reminded that sometimes the most powerful forces around us aren't those which we have created or invented, but those which continue on with or without us.  I have a feeling my windows will be open more often in the future.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!