Heat Lightning

Have you ever seen heat lightning? I love full-fledge thunderstorms, so heat lightning always puzzled me a bit. It's just a faint hint of the full power that lies behind a thunderstorm.

That said, I'm a sucker for any type of lightning. So as a kid I still enjoyed looking for those unexpected flashes of heat lightning. (I think it's a lot more common in the mountains than in NoVA.) The anticipation built, as I waited for a brief glimpse of a well-lit sky.

I've had a similar feeling of anticipation lately when the baby kicks. He is getting bigger and stronger, but I don't always feel his movements clearly. At night when I go to bed is the best chance of feeling a definitive kick. It's a lot of fun. I imagine him doing all sorts of soccer moves or karate chops. Sometimes I imagine him swimming around in there like a goldfish.

I'm never fully satisfied with what few kicks I can feel. It's as if he's teasing me, only giving me a taste of what's to come. I realized there are a lot of parallels to heat lightning. I wait with anticipation, enjoy the experience, but am left slightly dissatisfied, still hoping to experience the "real thing."

I'll just keep waiting patiently.