Sometimes, it’s easy to get so caught up with day-to-day stress and anxiety, that you forget to stop and take a deep breath. They say that you should stop to smell the roses on a long journey, because you don’t know what’s waiting for you at the end.

I’ve been pretty tightly wound the last, well, year really. But one thing I can always count on to calm me down and bring me back to focus, is a good, hearty rainstorm. Now, driving in them is not really my thing, and honestly causes me more stress. But sitting at home, looking out the window.. or sitting in an area with a metal roof that I can hear it plinking way, is so calming. Snow storms have the same effect.

The issue is, this year, I haven’t had the chance to truly sit down and enjoy a good storm. It’s always chaos and go, go, go! when a storm arrives, and I miss my opportunity to unwind and just take it all in.

So one of my goals for 2021, as silly as it may seem, is to sit down and experience a storm in all of its majesty. I only hope the universe is willing to play along.

What seemingly simple thing calms you? How rare is it?