I love thunderstorms. There is nothing more beautiful than nature, especially the electric sight of lightning, the roaring sound of thunder and the calming feel of rain. Most people view thunderstorms as a scary storm that creates problems (power lines falling, trees getting struck by lightning, basements flooding), but I tend to view them in a more positive light. Don't get me wrong, the few times that I was forced to drive when it was down-pouring and lightning was striking near me every two seconds I was terrified for my safety, but every other time there is a thunderstorm I am in complete awe.

How can you not love such a raw, untouched phenomena in life? No human is conducting or interfering with thunderstorms. Nature produces them, which is pretty cool if you think about it. There are a thousand reasons why I am kind of obsessed with thunderstorms, but here are a few of my favorite things to do simply because thunderstorms allow me to!

1. Dancing in the rain.

Honestly, there is nothing more invigorating than dancing in the rain. It just makes you feel so alive. I usually will go outside and dance up and down my street all by myself, but sometimes some other crazy, care-free and wondrous individuals in my life will join me. The more the merrier is my motto. If you haven't danced in the rain then you are missing out on a different kind of freedom that everyone should feel. Dancing in the rain is one of the silliest things to do, and the care-free feeling that overcomes me when I do it is relieving to say the least. People today care so much about everything, about what people think of them, about how they should act or what they should say, about this and that, and it's nice to just be able to do something that allows you to not have to worry about anything at all except feeling so alive in that moment. So next time it rains, just go outside and dance. You'll thank me.

2. Watching lightning from the highest point in town.

Lightning is probably the coolest natural phenomena, yet it is so underrated because it occurs so frequently. How can you tell me that the sky lighting up at night because of something in nature, and not something produced by human beings, is not freaking awesome. The unpredictability of when or where lightning will strike next is so exciting. Lightning bolts come in such a variety of different forms and lengths. Lightning bolts are almost like snowflakes; no two are alike. My favorite thing to do is to watch lightning really late at night from the highest points in my town, so that I have a complete view of the show that nature puts on. I guarantee that if you find the top of a hill or a park with a clear view of the sky during the next thunderstorm, then you will instantly be amazed at how unbelievable lightning really is. Try it.

3. Falling asleep to the sound of thunder and rain.

I hear all the time about how my friends woke up during a thunderstorm or they had trouble sleeping because the wrath of God was so loud outside. NOT ME. I sleep like a baby when a storm is brewing outside my window. There is something strangely calming and relaxing about the roaring of thunder and the "pitter patter" of rain hitting the roof. I become really excited when the news reports that a storm is about to hit, because I know that I can just grab a book and curl up in bed, and I'll be asleep in minutes. It's relaxing for me to even write or think about it.

It's easy to be negative about something in nature that does cause some problems, such as basements flooding and all of the other things I listed earlier, but then again it's easy to make every situation and everything negative. And why would we do that? If we viewed everything in a negative light then what would the point of life be? SO next time you hear about thunderstorm warnings don't freak out or be pissed off. Go outside and dance in the rain, watch the lightning from the highest point in your town and snuggle up in your bed and fall asleep to the calming sounds of thunder and rain. Life is too short. Experience the wonders that this world and that nature has to offer us human beings.