More Than a Rock, 2nd Edition

52The Image and the Experience

All of us have had the experience of a sudden joy that came when nothing in the world had forewarned us of its coming—a joy so thrilling that if it was born of misery we remembered even the misery with tenderness.

—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I like some seasons more than others, and summer is my second least favorite time of the year (winter tops the list). There is, however, one wondrous thing about summer in this beautiful desert: the monsoon thunderstorms. When a particularly powerful storm arrives, I make an effort to be outside to greet it. I love the big chunky drops pounding on leaves, rocks, and windshields; I love the intoxicating scent of wet earth and sagebrush and pine; and I love the spectacular lightshows ...