Mother's Mojo

Oftentimes, we walk through life losing touch with the universe.  Small events remind us of the bigger picture; a situation on a larger scale compels us to hug our families a little tighter.  

Last night, Mother Nature informed us that she is indeed awesome.  

Really?  Again?!?!?!  Another weather alert?  Just two weeks ago I was in Wisconsin for a tornado; in 2010 we vacationed in OBX before being evacuated two days early for Hurricane Earl started creeping in.    

Hurricane Earl Rolling In - 2010

Tropical storm Arthur moved fast through the Atlantic picking up steam destined for Florida.  Not before long, I was tagged in a Facebook post from a friend:

Hmmm.  Interesting question.  I had NO clue a storm was being tracked.  Our friends started receiving worried phone calls and text messages from family.  My phone didn't go off; I was fine with that.  Cape Hatteras occupants were forced to evacuate; I crossed my fingers, praying we'd be left alone.  The hype of the storm bled through all media outlets like an unstoppable cancer, causing wide-spread panic.  I called home to put my Mom's fears at ease (as best as I could) while we made a grocery list for our hurricane party.  The liquor stock would be just fine, but we needed some extras for our bushel of crabs dinner and our 4th of July celebration.  

Thursday afternoon, post pool time, we stuffed ourselves with blue point crabs and hunkered down for an evening of drinking and games.  And when I say 'stuffed ourselves' I MEAN WE REALLY.STUFFED.OURSELVES.  Roughly eight adults ate the crap out of a bushel leaving only twelve untouched.  By the end of the meal we were covered in crab chunks, crab juice and shards of shells.  The living area reeked of sea stank and old bay.  I felt so disgusting that I threw my clothes in to the washer just after brushing my teeth.  I regret not showering.  

A smaller group of us gathered around the recently cleaned kitchen table for a mean round of Cards Against Humanity.  Tears of laughter rolled down our faces for the duration of the game.  We paused after some time to take a break, but none of us returned.  The group broke up to various points in the house; I assumed my usual 'at-home' position: passing out on the couch.  The Weather Channel lulled me to sleep for at least an hour.  The rain started to fall as I made my way to bed.  

I rolled out of bed a few times through the night, each time to assess the state of weather as initially reported to me by Jim Cantore who was stationed about 15 miles south of our location.  Following his report, I peeked outside to see a whole lot of not much.  But...the sounds of Mother Nature was enough to send goosebumps up and down my back.  She roared through the dark sky.  The bellowing belches from the ocean could be heard from our ocean side home.  The rain pounded our East-facing bedroom windows with authority.  I was unusually uncomfortable, unable to sleep; I turned on the outside light to our balcony to try and catch a glimpse of the ruckus.  I witnessed, again, nothing remarkable, but the soundtrack of the storm told a different story.  I snapped a few pathetic photos that captured, again, a whole lotta nuttin'.  My words can barely describe the howling from the Earth, and this storm wasn't anything major compared to other storms, but it smacked me silly with torrential rains, sustained winds over 75 mph and the bellows from the ocean, my God, the bellows.  

Pathetic Hurricane Documentation

My God...the bellows.  What a great reminder that we're just little specs on a sliver of land.