Sometimes The Best Things Are Close To Home

We came back from overseas a few days ago. We spent part of our time storm-chasing through the central plain states of America. We didn’t encounter a tornado, but we only managed a dust tornado in western Kansas, where a dangerous dust storm made visibility challenging to drive.

So we were back in Western Australia, the land of endless sunshine, except today, the sun disappeared as I was heading home an hour south of Perth. I turned to the top of my street and was surprised; a water spout had formed over the ocean just a few kilometres from my home. 

The Perth region has a Mediterranean climate, so the weather here is pretty monotonous. Just occasionally, nature gives us a surprise. In March 2010, we got hit with a supercell storm that led to a billion dollars in hail damage. So, while severe storms here are not unheard of, they are infrequent. Today, as I headed home, I sensed a severe storm brewing. Sure enough, I was soon driving into a storm with many lightning flashes and some road flooding.

A friend sent me another photo from the bridge near our home, which showed the water spout in a different stage of development.

One thing about our weather and nature is that they are unsolicitious. It doesn't matter whether you are white, brown, black, Jewish, Christian, Hindu or Muslim. It doesn't care whether you are virtuous or not. It acts according to universal forces and is more powerful than humanity. We must stop acting as if we can control it. We must also appreciate its beauty. Just watching the setting sun reflecting on cloud cover can inspire us to appreciate the natural world.