Cloudbusting

Courtesy of Troubled Waters

I was never a fervent fan of English pop singer  Kate Bush. That said, the imagery and lyrics from her 1985 song, “Cloudbusting”, have never left me, even after three-plus decades:

  But every time it rains

  You're here in my head

  Like the sun coming out

  Ooh, I just know that something good is going to happen

Her art’s otherworldly style and eclectic symbolism are a perfect antidote for the prolonged stress and isolation we all feel these days. The COVID-19 pandemic is decimating lives and disrupting routines, but it also offers time to take a head trip and escape from our present grim and boring reality.

Thus, I force my mind to turn to more pleasant, sunnier thoughts to purge darker leanings. I've been thinking about the tornado which ripped through the Nashville area in early March. That catastrophe was followed by the virus sinking its red spikes into society. A one-two punch--ugh.

This week I took a break from self-quarantine to ponder the billowing, swirling clouds above. Bush’s Cloudbusting enveloped my brain, transporting my mind to a tranquil, peaceful place for a few minutes. And that pesky emotion, Hope, enveloped its arms around me.

So...I was in an odd phase last year, when I would occasionally stop during my commute home to snap photos of the Tennessee sky. Those big sky images mixed with Kate Bush song became the cocktail that conjured up these escapist thoughts.

'Nuff said. #BeHippyDippyHappy