We Can See Even With Our Eyes Closed!
I woke up in the middle of the night not long ago and rolled over onto my other side to see if I could nod back off. Moments later, even though I had my eyes closed, I saw a flash of light.
“Did something bad just happen in my eyes?” I thought.
Some years back, my optometrist had told me one symptom of a torn retina was a sudden flash of light.
And then I heard the thunder – so loud it sounded like a bomb going off nearby – and I realized that flash was lightning.
Apparently, we can see lightning even with our eyes closed. That’s pretty remarkable, when you think about it.
As I tried to drift back off to sleep, I thought about how often weather plays a role in the books I have written: a deadly flash flood in Into the Deep, a blizzard in Fallen Trees, and less dramatic roles in other books I have completed but not yet published.
Perhaps it’s my farming background or my career as a journalist, but I’ve always been aware of the significant role weather plays in our lives – though many people don’t seem to realize that.
It's why weather often feels like another character in my writing.
No, a tornado hasn’t popped up in any of my books yet…but I can’t guarantee that won’t happen.
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I'd like to thank Robin Lorenson for allowing me to use one of her lightning photos in this post. She's a gifted photographer and loves to chronicle extreme weather. You can find more of her images at https://www.
Photo by Robin Lorenson Photography LLC