The Life of M

“Well, for lots of reasons, I suppose,” Mom would shrug. “Sometimes, it’s a wakeup call. It reminds people of the fragility of life, that they shouldn’t be wasting their days on things that don’t matter. Or sometimes—my favorite—it happens when people fall in love.”

And then, because she was a mom, she used it as a teaching moment. “There will be times in your life, girls,” she warned us, “that you’ll lose your passion. Maybe that’s when the lightning will come looking for you, to start a fire in your soul and give it back.”

After that, we both wanted lightning to strike us. Mom regretted ever saying anything; she would find us, in the middle of thunderstorms, dancing outside in the rain with whatever metal we could find: pots and silverware, old umbrellas with the rainproof fabric stripped off, tools stolen from Dad’s garage.