
June 15 marks the official start day of Arizona’s beloved monsoon. I have yet to meet an Arizonan who doesn’t relish these overpowering thunderstorms, even if it means they will spend the next morning clearing dried fronds off of their car. Monsoon storms add undeniable character to Arizona’s withering 110-degree summer months and whether we realize it or not, they never fail to light up the state with an intrinsic display of unity.
One night while I was out walking my overzealous Chihuahua, hoping to catch a glimpse of some ‘monsoonesque’ weather, I stumbled upon an intriguingly random conversation.
“C’mon man, it’s like the Coliseum in Rome or even better, that Christ statue in that Brazilian country…” I heard a young boy screech as he wheeled his bike around the street in figure eights.
“Yeah, I know what you’re talking about, you’re exactly right, it’s like those ancient pyramids,” replied the husky shadow of a teenage boy as he leaned back comfortably atop the hood of a car.
“OH DUDE! Did you see that?!” I glimpsed the young boy point heartily at the night sky as my eye caught whim of a puff of yellow radiance illuminating the clouds staunched above the Superstition Mountains.
My head reactively shot left in an attempt to witness more of this extraordinary occurrence, the eye-popping, majestic and awe-inspiring occurrence of…heat lightening? This young boy interrupted my eavesdropping on a profound conversation of primitive Roman ruins, iconic statues and world wonders to point out a lick of…heat lightening?
Yes he did, and I didn’t blame him. Although I was curious to hear where their dialogue was going, the excitement shared by these boys, excitement over a mere fleck of light in the distant sky which may seem peculiar to most is all too common here. This is in fact what unites us desert dwellers! To be honest, I secretly wanted to join in on the boys’ enlivening conversation with a “DUDE, I totally just saw that too, it was awesome!” However, in order to avoid personal embarrassment, I instead opted to restrain my capricious enthusiasm and continued to walk my dog across the street.
It may seem like a measly glimmer of lightening to the untrained eye but any true Arizonan knows it is the start of many more impressive nature shows to come. If my theory is correct, then the neighboring residents of 5923 are also true, first-rate Arizonans as they toppled out of their front door, heads to the sky, at the first crack of thunder!
Giddy, I ran inside, dragging along my stubborn Chihuahua and immediately did what everyone does in a moment of supreme ecstasy; updated my Facebook status. “I’m loving this thunderstorm! Arizona monsoon, oh how I have missed thee!” Dramatic, maybe a tad, but again, this is what makes or breaks summers in the Grand Canyon State. A summer without a monsoon is like a pizza without the pepperoni…sure, you’re going to enjoy that pizza regardless but the pep is what adds that extra spice.
I switched on the television and nodded in agreement as meteorologist Royal Norman excitedly informed me and the rest of his 3TV News viewers that tonight’s big story was a thunderstorm in the East Valley. They planned to provide coverage all night on this breaking development. It doesn’t take a genius to guess how the front page of tomorrow’s Arizona Republic would read.
The next morning as I opened my front door and headed to work I was hit smack in the face with an overwhelming envelope of humidity. Although rare in these parts, humidity is unfortunately, the annoying kid brother that always accompanies an Arizona monsoon. In order to make it to the comfortable, air-conditioned ventilation awaiting me behind the closed doors of my Acura, I had to hold my breath and push my way through a bubble of invisible moisture, much like a frantic child who is trying to push their way through one of those play land ball pits. Safely inside my cool, crisp car and headed to work, I mapped out the quickest route from the parking garage to the inside of my air conditioned office. Done. Once I was successfully seated inside my air conditioned office, I immediately joined in on the conversation stirring around my desk.
“Did it rain at your place? I heard there was rain and thunder over by my friend in Mesa…” a brown-haired girl began to explain.
“Well, it didn’t rain at my house but I did see lightening and the thunder was rattling my window!” I replied.
“Oh yeah, me too,” chirped in my bubbly friend Gina, “I love this time of year!”
To my delight, this harmonious conversation continued for another 20 minutes before anyone made a productive attempt to focus on their work. Finally, after wading through eight hours of portentous clouds teasing us on and off with small droplets of water and a little of bit of ‘work’ thrown in the mix, I made it back home.
I was greeted by a mad Chihuahua who forcefully demanded his daily “W” (correlation: “walk”) with a rhythmic series of annoying barks. Reluctantly, I strapped on his red leash and braced myself for that wave of infamous stickiness. (Despite my obvious disdain for humidity, I should mention that it’s only a small price to pay for the gloriousness of a monsoon.) We stepped outside and immediately my hostility toward the clammy heat was ripped away as I caught sight of an orange sky lingering with storm clouds. And so it begins again…and all I have to say is, “DUDE! This weather is AWESOME!”