Northern Virginia has been getting hit with a series of thunderstorms with an intensity that I’d never experienced back in California. Once, on a trek with my father on the way to Oklahoma over twenty years ago did it storm so bad that it resulted in pulling over on the highway to let it pass. These storms are similar – Quick, ferocious, and violent. They didn’t last very long, but they did leave a lasting impression.

I believe it was last Wednesday. A storm hit in the early evening and knocked out power to 18,000+ homes in my area for some 10 hours or so. That was indeed the first time that I had experienced a power outage due to weather.

What’s worse is that I had to work that night as well, and navigating at night, with no streetlamps, let alone no working traffic signals, is quite terrifying. Not only was power out on the roads, but the storm had also carved a path of destruction by littering trees and branches on many roads, causing many roadblocks. I had to backtrack a few times being that my usual routes were closed off. It was very annoying.

However, I did enjoy my ride home after work that late evening. The absence of other motorists on the road, absence of light, and the overall quiet had reminded me of where I once lived – Paradise, California. The walk back to the townhouse from the truck was almost spiritual. I stood out in the middle of the road, alone in the darkness, with the ambient sound of the wind through the flora, and chirps of the night fauna.

For the first time, in a very long time, I felt the now seemingly unfamiliar feeling of calm and clarity.

I could definitely use more of that.