How did you spend your lunch hour today? Were you, like me, obsessively checking the weather, waiting to see whether or not your city was going to be hit by a tornado? No? Thank goodness. Because, seriously, it isn't a whole lot of fun.
I was coming back to my desk after a meeting, intending to check my email and then perhaps take a brief walk to Crown Center or Union Station (all of which, conveniently, are linked by an indoor walkway to avoid the rainI knew had been predicted). I had already heard words swirling around about possible tornado sightings, but somehow I had convinced myself that it was just nervous chatter sparked from the devastating weather of the past few days. However, as I was about thirty feet from my desk, our security team got on the loud speaker, ordering everyone to their "safe location" immediately. Having no clue where this "safe location" really was, I hurried back to where my co-workers were gathering their things, preparing to head to the stairwell.
We hadn't move more than five feet when other people began streaming in hordes into the lounge area outside our cubicles. Turns out, we were already located in our safe location, which in some ways was convenient since at least I had my computer to pass the time. As our area filled with displaced employees, I tried hard to figure out what I should do. I admit feeling a sinking feeling in my stomach, worried that perhaps something horrible was about to happen but not really convinced of the severity of the situation. The benefit of being so far into the bowels of the building is the safety, but it certainly makes you feel like you are in a cave, unable to see what is coming your way. Granted, my actual observation of the weather conditions would have been of little value, but there is something about having to see to believe, and without visual confirmation, I was having trouble grasping just how serious it might be. (I also tend to mitigate the danger of certain situations...)
I called home to make sure my grandmother was aware of what was going on outside, I said a little prayer asking for protection for friends, family, and all those in the path of these storms, and then I had nothing else to do but worry and wait. There wasn't much to gather from the tv stations' web sites, and having the added comfort of being surrounded by co-workers (one thing I did know as the security announcement began to resound was that I certainly did not want to be alone...I wanted to be around people), I did what I do best--I worked. It was a bit half-hearted, but focusing on emails and requests made it possible to ignore the gnawing in my stomach. It got me through the half hour or so we were under a tornado warning, and when the news reported that some damage had occurred but no reports of any deaths, I sighed a breath of relief. I felt a little on edge the rest of the afternoon, but needlessly so. The rest of the day has been quiet, and tomorrow looks like a brighter day.
There have been too many tragedies in the past few days to be ready for another onslaught of casualties. Many of us are still reeling from the devastation of Joplin, only a few hours south of KC. The response from the people in this area to provide relief and support has been astonishing--blood centers have reached capacity, tons of supplies being donated, people providing their skills and expertise--and it serves as a wonderful reminder of human kindness and resiliency. But, in times where it seems like one thing after another, we reach a point of exhaustion, and for some reason, I feel we (as a society) are nearing that point. Thank goodness our resolve wasn't put further to the test today. While I would like to believe that no matter what happens, I and those around me would find a way to press on, I admit that I don't mind not having to prove that point through personal experience. But, for those who are living this as a reality, I will do what I can to make it easier, and pray that they find relief and comfort during this challenging time.
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