Golden Light

Yesterday late afternoon, a terrific downpour of a thunderstorm with nearby lightning strikes was followed, in town (where i was in yoga class), by sirens racing down the street. One could practice compassion for the people at the destination of the firetrucks, but my mind automatically went to gratitude.

Aren't we lucky to live in places where 9-1-1 brings a firetruck or the police? In this rural state, we were only 9-1-1ed with street addresses (replacing the old Rural Route addresses) a few years ago. Before that, there was fumbling for the right phone number.

Aren't we fortunate to live in places where volunteer or professional fire fighters receive a call of desperation and can arrive minutes later?

And thank goodness for all that equipment and training.

On my drive home from yoga, the post-sunset sky glowed with golden light, and all the white clapboard houses passed had suddenly been painted the most beautiful creamy pale yellow. When i arrived at my destination (home: safe and dry), i went out to the garden to bathe in the golden light. And also to plant yellow summer squash seeds in what had been dusty soil just a few hours earlier.

Dryness. Gone.
Rain. Gone.
Thunder. Gone.

And then the golden light was gone.