Space

I had kind of an odd experience as I was leaving work yesterday; it's something I've experienced before, but this time, for some reason, it really struck me.

I left the mall, as I usually do when I'm closing, somewhere around nine-thirty.  The mall actually closes half an hour before that, so by the time I finish fighting with the Blood-Hungry Gate of Doom (which gets progressively more threatening every time I name it) and faxing my paperwork (yes, we still have a fax machine instead of an actual functioning computer), the parking lot is largely empty.  The cars that are still there generally cluster closer to the door, waiting for their last-minute shoppers to hustle out, but I tend to park farther out, so I don't have to fight for a space when I get there.

The end result of this was that when I got to my vehicle, other than me and it, there was nothing around.  No people, or buildings, or things of any kind, just open space.  Even though it wasn't exactly emptiness as far as the eye could see (I mean, the mall was right there), the sensation of actually having space around me was unusual, given how much time I spend surrounded by various.... well, stuff.

I don't even live in a big city, although I do live near one, but even if you live in the country, there are almost always some type of things around, aren't there?  Even if it's nothing more than trees and... I don't know, cows or something... you don't get the experience of there just being air in all directions very often.  Or I don't, anyway.  It was kind of cool.

So, I just stood there for a moment, and closed my eyes briefly to really drink in that sensation (only a moment, though... my mall isn't in the greatest area, really).  And then a lightning storm started.  No rain, but the sky lit up.  Did I summon it?  Maybe.  Who can say?