I Hate Lightning
June 22...I wrote this yesterday but we lost internet service in the midst of a big storm so I could not post it....
Anybody who knows me knows that I hate lightning. I've written about this before. But it's on my mind at this moment because I just had to drive through an electrical storm to get home after attending a meeting for non-Jewish women raising Jewish children. The meeting was very pleasant and I met some nice women. I'm sure we have plenty in common.
But when we opened the door to leave, there was the darkening sky, flashing here and there. I immediately confessed my phobia to the woman standing next to me, even though I had just met her. "I'm not afraid of lightning," she said. "But I don't like when my daughter goes out in it."
Driving home, it wasn't raining yet but the sky was lighting up all over the place. I saw jagged bolts begin to crash in the direction in which I was driving. I sunk into my skeleton every time the sky lit up, expecting to be struck at any moment. I kept telling myself it's safe to be in a car during lightning but I don't really believe that. Wouldn't the gas tank ignite? Wouldn't I get electrocuted from the metal frame of the car? Wouldn't it be really really loud and annoying?
What struck me as strangely comforting was the number of other cars on the road. I told myself that none of those people were alarmed by this weather phenomenon, why should I be? Still I braced myself for the inevitable tree that was sure to be struck and fall directly into the path of my car, if not actually on top of the car itself. I began to sweat. My heart was beating faster. As I got closer to home I thanked myself for leaving the garage door open so I could drive right in. I left it open for just that purpose.
It's really my only phobia. It could be a lot worse. I could be afraid of spiders. I could be afraid of crowds. I could be afraid of wide open spaces. I could be afraid of bees. I could be afraid of the television. So I'm going to cut myself some slack and just admit my fear, and stay inside if the skies begin to rumble.
Anybody who knows me knows that I hate lightning. I've written about this before. But it's on my mind at this moment because I just had to drive through an electrical storm to get home after attending a meeting for non-Jewish women raising Jewish children. The meeting was very pleasant and I met some nice women. I'm sure we have plenty in common.
But when we opened the door to leave, there was the darkening sky, flashing here and there. I immediately confessed my phobia to the woman standing next to me, even though I had just met her. "I'm not afraid of lightning," she said. "But I don't like when my daughter goes out in it."
Driving home, it wasn't raining yet but the sky was lighting up all over the place. I saw jagged bolts begin to crash in the direction in which I was driving. I sunk into my skeleton every time the sky lit up, expecting to be struck at any moment. I kept telling myself it's safe to be in a car during lightning but I don't really believe that. Wouldn't the gas tank ignite? Wouldn't I get electrocuted from the metal frame of the car? Wouldn't it be really really loud and annoying?
What struck me as strangely comforting was the number of other cars on the road. I told myself that none of those people were alarmed by this weather phenomenon, why should I be? Still I braced myself for the inevitable tree that was sure to be struck and fall directly into the path of my car, if not actually on top of the car itself. I began to sweat. My heart was beating faster. As I got closer to home I thanked myself for leaving the garage door open so I could drive right in. I left it open for just that purpose.
It's really my only phobia. It could be a lot worse. I could be afraid of spiders. I could be afraid of crowds. I could be afraid of wide open spaces. I could be afraid of bees. I could be afraid of the television. So I'm going to cut myself some slack and just admit my fear, and stay inside if the skies begin to rumble.
posted by calabresewoman | 6:37 PM
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