After The Storm - Damsel In Dior

night outfits 10 years ago After The Storm

I strolled through the beautifully cobblestoned streets of Orvieto, Italy.

I’d be lying if I said there weren’t a few worries that crossed my complex mind, but nothing prepared me for the storm that was resting on the horizon only miles away.

Just as we approached the car, rain began to fall. It was followed rather quickly by large golf-sized hail; I’d never seen anything quite like it. After nervously bickering back and forth over a sheltered place to park the car to protect it from the storm, we sat in silence. In that moment I felt scared. Fearful of what had just happened and nervous for what rest before us as we had another hour and a half drive to Siena. I rolled the window down and breathed in the rainy air. There is nothing more exquisite to me in this world than the smell of weather. It is quite comforting; like being in the middle of our cotton farm back in Texas just as a hurricane is about to roll in. A part of me questions if it is the storm that I enjoy smelling, or the rush and adrenaline that surrounds the storm. Regardless, when weather rolls in, I feel a sense of nervous excitement like no other. It always serves as a reminder that no matter how strongly we stand, no matter where you go in life, that a few clouds can blow in and change everything . . . unexpectedly. Sometimes a storm takes a turn for the worse, other times it washes away debris and sets a landscape for new beginnings. But no matter what the outcome, you have to always breathe in the storm to truly appreciate what it has to offer. And, if you are lucky, it might bring you something beautiful.