A couple of nights ago I was standing out on my back patio, under the eaves of the house, watching the lightning from the storm that was pelting the area with rain.

Suddenly the sky right above me went completely white and I heard what I could only describe as the extremely loud, sinister crackly noise.

It is amazing how fast the brain can process thoughts: “slump back against wall out of fear”, “oh god that’s lightning”, “I am about to be struck by lightning”, “hold breath I may need it”, “I’m going to die”.

Then the white became an arc of lightning snaking its way through the sky, and a large boom coming from the direction of the front of the house that shuddered the wall I was slumping against and shook the ground I was standing on.

Shaking, I checked my underwear (they were okay) and I went inside, it did not seem like the lightning had struck my house, but had come down somewhere close on the other side. I grabbed my cell and went out the front door with the intention of driving around the neighborhood to see if there were any struck down trees.

It turned out that I would not need to get into my car. As soon as I opened my front door, the flashing of fire engines, police cars and an ambulance blinded me.

I went over to investigate and discovered that the lightning had arced over my house and struck the metal chimney top of a house across the intersection from mine.

I went over to check it out, as the crowds began to gather on the streets. There was smoke wafting from the roof, and the chimney top was pointing off at a warped angle.

Approaching the scene from my house.

The house that got struck is between and behind these two fire engines.

Looking at the scene from my front yard - you can see how close it was.

Who can tell why the lightning bypassed my chimney top, and hit one less than 30 feet away? I am thankful it did not choose to hit me instead.