Who Has Seen The Wind?

No one sees the wind but it shows itself when it is high. To sleep through a wild night of winds all around our domains is a lesson in its strengths. We hear, sleeplessly, its roarings and whistlings. Objects fly about and are pushed around by it. We try to accommodate our possessions to protect them, but, at times, the winds prove a more powerful force. Most of the time on this moderately weathered coast, we don't consider winds as something to be concerned about. If  one is out on a boat, however, always and ever, or should be, very close attention is paid to winds. We assess its patterns, the comings and goings, its speeds and possible duration. One's life depends upon this knowledge when venturing out in water bound vessels, be they large or small craft. Sailboats are designed to take the wind but only to an extent the vessel is worthy of. Sailing folk, read the winds closely and make use of them through their knowledge and experiences. They know the limitations of their ships.  Motor boaters try to avoid heavy winds that are beyond their abilities to take a heavy sea. Large ships also have great respect for the winds because they must cross great bodies of water under any conditions when they are on the high seas. But inside our own homes, we listen to the winds and while they seem exciting, their results can often be more. We hear unfamiliar sounds and while they may be innocent, they pique our curiosities and sometimes, fears.  If we live under great trees, our concerns are valid. Flying branches can smash windows, fall on roofs, travelling cars and people outdoors and could thus do serious damage. Driving during a windstorm, and I am not speaking of  tornadoes or  hurricanes, but just  good, high winds, can be frightening with leaves and man-made detritus blowing past on highways and roads. In spite of all efforts for hydro companies to prevent such accidents, trees near lines, do blow down and make repair work not only difficult, but dangerous when power outages pull these people out of their own beds and into storms to service for us, downed poles or wires. Weather becomes news when thousands of people are left without power due to winds. We have come to depend upon generated electricity. In a storm, traffic lights may go out, businesses using power: restaurants and offices, have to close. In our own homes, we use power for heating and lighting and the running of our appliances and other electronics. We depend upon it for our spoiled creature comforts. Suddenly, Nature's wind becomes big news. It shows its vast power in  being directly responsible for deaths, for closing down vital transportation lanes and certainly  in putting many people to great inconvenience. and even in danger. It takes a good storm to make us appreciate the power of natural forces and how used to feeling protected we are from them. We should  appreciate the gift of living not just within our own human controls but that we exist among earth-wide natural phenomena that are generally friendly and safe, but they can and do, truly rule our lives. They've been around well before man came on the scene and will continue well after we've gone.