Guess we're not in charge, eh?

And I don't mean the Democrats. I mean we human beings. The storms that came through the Midwest and wreaked havoc in our area remind me, unoriginally, that we are at the mercy of nature.

Anecdotes tell the whole story in little pieces.

My husband was out picking up our daughter from school when a tree fell on his car. He's fine--the car, not so much. Couple thou of damage, we imagine. Yet, a block north of us a car sits, completely flattened by a tree. The teenage owner was on his way out to the car, keys in hand, when the tree smashed down.

Neighborhood basements that are usually bone dry are crying out for sump pumps with three feet of rain mucking up the rec room furniture. Three houses up, a tree fell across the length of the yard, landing on top of the swing set often filled with children. There is no power in many places, including the blocks surrounding us.

My parents were surprised that none of this was reported in their news. They live in the Midwest too, but their area (Michigan--six hours from us) is currently suffering from drought. Just last week, it was so dry there while we visited them that we were loathe to have a bonfire.

For all the noise dramatic weather makes (including the overly-emotive reporting heard in area news reports, posturing each and every storm as the largest storm ever in the history of time), each event is a relatively small blip in the space of a nation that spans the width of a continent. I relish these moments when I am reminded of how small we are. I like being reminded of my relative place in the world. It helps place all my personal drama in the proper perspective.

Not such a big deal. Could be a bigger deal. Lucky it's not such a big deal. Keep breathing. :-)

Liz