Everyone who has spent time on and around the Great Lakes knows that they each have very  different personalities, and I believe that they each have that quality I call Spirit of Place.  You probably know exactly what I’m talking about if you’ve ever had a favorite or secret spot where you return again and again to seek peace and renewal.

The lakes’ personalities aren’t fixed, either.  They change with the weather, much like ours do.  Lake Michigan on a sunny summer day  is bright, alive, friendly and playful as a Golden Retriever puppy.  In the depths of winter she seems to be in hibernation unless she is awoken by a storm, then she is fierce and angry.  Lake Superior is more aloof and almost never as playful as Michigan, and she is awesome and terrifying in her storm persona.

I grew to really like the lakes from playing on the beaches of Michigan, Superior and Huron as a kid and young adult.  I grew to love them from sitting on the shore, in a cottage, car or tent staring out at their fury in a storm.  Watching a big storm build as it blows in across one of the Great Lakes reminds me of Wagnerian operas, only better because I know that here is the real deal, nature uncontrollable and raw; not someone’s interpretation of a great storm.  You would be no different out there than a wind-blown leaf, and you’d last about as long.  Again, Superior in storm is breathtaking and awe inspiring.  I never feel as small, helpless and insignificant as when watching Lake Superior go wild.  But there is a soul cleansing quality there as well.  Just as the storm cleans the air and the shore, it leaves me feeling refreshed and eager to get outside and enjoy that feeling that comes right after a storm and only lasts for an hour or so.

Have you fallen in love with the spirit of one of the Great Lakes?  When and how did it happen?