Tornado Alley

When I was a kid, I was terrified of tornados. Any time we had drills at school I would get nervous and, if there was an actual need to seek shelter, I was usually crying. I kept thinking of my parents and how I didn’t know where they were or if they were alive. Needless to say, I received my share of teasing for being a baby. Sometime around the beginning of my teen years, I began to relax but the teasing stayed alive (thanks to John Tolbirt) for my entire high school experience.

I don’t get nervous about storms any more. I think it’s because I’ve never been in the middle of a tornado and I’ve always felt safe in my home. Having a basement helps. Perhaps it was all the teasing that caused me to toughen up because now I rarely get worried about tornados or severe storms. This morning, while at the gym, a huge storm rolled in (and it’s still going on). I barely noticed anything was happening until I looked outside and realized it was dark as night. The rain picked up, then the wind and things got quite severe for a while. So where was I during this tornado warning? On a treadmill right in front of a huge window. Hey, I was watching the weather and ready to jump off if things got worse. Somehow I’ve turned into my dad who used to stand on the front porch during storms, smoke a cigarette and look at the sky while mom herded the rest of us into the basement. 

I decided to wait the storm out at the gym but got impatient and headed home. I’m glad I left when I did because another severe storm is here and I feel better being at home. Now my only concern is losing power since I have to go to work. Hope you’re safe and sound wherever you are. I’m just hoping the rain lets up before I have to go to work because I have no idea what shoes to wear in this weather!