Last night was...well, it was not boring. While we were actively still in a "shelter-in-place" for the COVID-19 outbreak, we also faced a threat of severe weather in the late hours of the evening. While playing D&D virtually, my phone suddenly alarmed, showing a "tornado touchdown" icon. Our poor family heard us grab our phones and pup as we ran into the basement. Within minutes, our power was out and a tremendous amount of light shot across the sky.
I have never seen lightning like that before; orange, green, and blue hues threw sharp, jagged lines through a bruised and swirling sky. The air looked dirty, flying in both directions at the same time as a sound like a freight train came roaring through the dark. Pushing Alex and Rory into our fortified laundry room, I quickly ran into our downstairs bedroom to see the windows bowing in and out (although none were broken) and hauled our spare mattress with me as I closed the door behind all three of us. Using a phone, we lit the room and communicated with our parents/grandparents to make sure they were all in their basements since the storm was what meteorologists later described as a "land hurricane." Over 500 bolts of lightning hitting the earth in under two minutes, with storms continuing into the night. As I looked into the eyes of my (still fairly new, but we are starting to feel seasoned) husband, I saw both anxiety and calm confidence emanating from his face. The first year of marriage...boy, they were not kidding.
Although we did not know it at the time (but heavily suspected), we actually were right in the path of a funnel cloud going somewhere above 70 mph. After getting back on the line with my mom, who had access to radar, we threw a bunch of stuff into a bag and drove to her house between lines in the storm and arrived safely for a sleepover. Again, I am just so grateful that she has been in quarantine as long as we have and all of us have followed the protocols to keep each other safe.
After our impromptu sleepover, we spent today doing zumba in the living room, playing Jackbox games via zoom with our family, and coming back to our (now powered) home. We are ready to make the most of what we have, and feel so grateful for all that we are being given.
When I was in high school, I saw Maya Angelou speak live and I will never forget one of the messages from her talk. She described (in much better detail than I can in remembrances) how we are all in storms of our own at different times. The important thing to remember is that when your clouds part, or maybe even before they do, "choose to be the rainbow in someone's clouds." As we drove home and saw neighbors helping neighbors while also maintaining safe distancing, I could not help but think of the quote and smile under my medical mask. People are good.
Be the rainbow in someone's clouds.
Prepare, don't panic.
-Allison
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