Well, you all should be happy that I didn’t get blown away. This is the closest I’ve ever come to being hit by a tornado.

We were watching a National Geographic show on Free on Demand, so we had no idea there was a storm coming. Everything was fine. I was massaging hubby and we were both happy and relaxed. Then, the tornado sirens blew.

I switched it to Weather on Demand and we watched that for a while. A tornado had touched down not too far from us and looked like it was just barely going to miss us. This had happened before, last month or the month before. Things weren’t too bad then, and hubby didn’t give me any reason for alarm.

His intuition is good. So, when he told me this time that his stomach churned, the adrenaline started flowing. I was already freaking because something was telling me to go get stuff and then I had a flash of us being huddled downstairs. So, we gathered the essentials and went to the basement of the complex.

One of the other residents was down there with her dog, who was panting heavy and acting nervous. That made more adrenaline flow. A huge gust blew, so we went into the enclosed hall, away from the sun room. Definitely not a good idea to be watching the storm. Hubby held onto me and tried to comfort me, much like the other resident was trying to comfort her dog. Each master was trying to console their pet. When I realized that, I started feeling empathy for the dog and felt bad that it could probably sense my panic and that was probably making it panic more. Poor thing.

It didn’t help that another resident opened the door to come into the hall and sent another surge of adrenaline pulsing through my veins. Plus, the lady with the dog had a weather radio and it kept saying “Seek shelter immediately! Seek shelter immediately!”.

I was trying to calmly freak out, if that makes any sense. The only thing I couldn’t control was my legs. They were really jittery, and I was getting to the point where I thought I might have to sit down. I was getting slightly lightheaded. Hubby was so calm during the whole thing. I’m thankful to have him.

So, I’ve got enough energy in me to run who knows how many miles right now. There’s no way I’m going to be able to sleep any time soon. Thank God it missed us. I wonder if the hail did any damage to the car… My parents, who live maybe 15 minutes away from us didn’t get it as bad. I made sure to call them after, and they’re fine.

It’s still thundering outside. Big flash of lightning just now, too. It’s cooled down though. Hubby says that’s good and means it’s passed us. We’re in the clear. Still, that was a lot to go through for me. For 24 years, I’ve never been that scared. I’ve never been that close to the weather getting dangerous. This county has always been pretty safe. Whenever there would be a warning, it would be for everyone but us.

I hate to say it, but I have a feeling like this is only the start of things. I’m worried the weather will only get worse. Hubby watches enough of those end-of-the-world shows and makes me worry. Most of the time, I have to turn on the computer and keep myself busy. I have to find some way to ignore it or I’ll just start worrying about the future. Yeah, I’m a worry wart.

So, if anyone reading this got hit by a tornado or knows someone who has, my heart goes out to all of you. Oop..more lightning..and thunder.. Doesn’t really look or sound that far away. My prayers are with all of you. Keep us in yours, too. Doesn’t matter what religion you are, or even if you are one. Positive and protective thoughts are welcome.

xoxo