What Is The Smallest Thing You Will Do Today To Prepare For A Storm?

Tornado season is upon us, with a vengeance. I lived in “tornado alley” for many years, and know how devastating and life changing these storms can be…even to the point of being deadly, as we are reminded, all too often.

Some storms come with warning, and some strike with no warning at all. Some we have time to prepare for, and others happen so fast, there is only time to react. When a large snow storm looms, we all go crazy and buy more milk, bread, and toilet paper—sometimes, in an un-needed panic. We get salt for the sidewalk, and hunker down to wait it out.

But when a tornado strikes, it is unpredictable. In many cases, we only have minutes to do what we can to shelter those we love. In those instances, people have been taught to get into basements, cellars, away from windows, into bathrooms. But sometimes, despite our best intentions, there are no safe places to go.
In those cases, what happens after the storm says a lot. Entire lives can be blown away in moments, and it’s up to the family of people to help each other pick up the pieces.

Having a plan can help a little. Some of these storms are so devastating that nothing seems to help much, but you read about the people who got to shelter because they knew what to do—and survived. Knowing ahead of time that there is so much out of our control means that we plan for the things we can do something about—like make sure we have a way to reach out after a catastrophe and find one another.

Then there is what we can do for each other, to prepare for a storm and the aftermath. Raising awareness of neighbors who have lost everything and being willing to lend a hand matters. Building relationships in the good times means we have a safety net during the hard ones.

What Is The Smallest Thing You Will Do Today To Prepare For A Storm?

You Play Like You Live

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. --Plato

I'm one of those oddities. I am a fifty two year old grandmother, and I like to play video games. Not all of them--you probably won't catch me playing the latest Grand Theft Auto, or any first person shooter--but I love to play Guild Wars 2.

Yeah, I know. It's a juvenile waste of time. Except it really isn't, for me. I like the social interaction, and I have become a decent player--certainly won't win any awards, and I'm never going to be at the top of any leader boards anywhere. But I've noticed, over the years, that people game like they live.

If you become frustrated easily and get angry at the game because "it's not fair", then it's a pretty good chance that you have that problem in your real life, too. If you are generous with help and give new players a hand up, you probably are the kind of person who holds doors open and chips in an extra dollar if someone is short at the grocery store checkout.

I've seen quiet leadership emerge from players, and seen bombastic headstrong people who will try to win at any cost. I've seen people who will stop to revive a fallen comrade at great risk to themselves. And I've seen people run over each other, just trying to avoid getting damaged themselves.

I know people tend to think that online games are anonymous, ways to release stress from behind a mask. But I also think that sometimes, those masks are just facets of who we really are.

Character means more than a cartoon on the screen. Just my .02.

Dy