A recipe for calm collection

 Once I was a boy who rarely carried an umbrella, constantly at the mercy of the elements. The occasional cloud presented a potential anxiousness not unlike seeing red and blue lights in the rearview mirror: please pass me by, I think and hope.

 But that was then and this is now.

 Today is fresh and I am ready: I say bring on the storm; unfurl the cloud banks, unleash the rain, and for god's sake let loose the lightening. Place me in the eye of the fury and let it all encircle my new bravery. Even as I read back over the last few lines I wonder to myself what exactly changed that brought me this new surge of confident survival.

 Is it external: The change to Summer? New friends slowly maturing into companions? A sense of acceptance and security?
 Perhaps internal: Recent sobriety? An alacrity for health and fitness? Diet improvement? Meditative priority?

 Actually I believe it to be a hearty mix of all the above-listed ingredients. A recipe for calm collection. And as I see it, this is a concoction best served warm so I shall continue to freshen the batch and stoke the oven fires.