Tweet

A Tornado Blowing Through Your Life

Written by: Michelle Weimer

Article Overview: What is really important in your life? Career, family, friends, money, health? If a storm blew through your life and took it all away, what would you miss the most?

A Tornado Blowing Through Your Life

We all think it will never happen to me, but it can. For the people of Holly, Colorado, it did. What is it you ask? A tornado, the width of two football fields traveling at a speed of over 160 miles per hour. Now, you may live in an area where tornados are unlikely but maybe there is a personal tornado brewing in your life. Or for you it is an earthquake, a hurricane, or a flood. Whatever your natural disaster is, are you ready for it? Are you ready for the way it is tearing up your life? Are you prepared to start over and rebuild?

It seems that it would be too early for tornado season to begin but after a tornado ripped through the town where I live in late March of last year, I believe anything is possible. I also believe that some things are meant to be, even bad things. How is it that even though it’s too early for tornado season, one hit? How is it that there was no warning? The National Weather Service didn’t even pick it up on their radar. How is it that only two people died when over 1/3 of the houses in the town were destroyed? Is it meant to be? Why? It is often hard to see because we do not know the universe’s master plan.

The devastation was unreal. What took 20 seconds for Mother Nature to do will take the people in my community years to fix. As I look out my front window at the empty lot that used to hold my closest neighbor’s home, I realize how lucky I am to be here. And I begin to ponder how it was that I was spared or that more people didn’t die in this tremendous tragedy? Then I wonder, was it a tragedy at all, or simply something to change our lives? Through this experience, we have seen people from all over come to our community to help with the disaster relief efforts. They have worked hard right beside us and they have donated their time and money to help people they don’t even know. When I see this, I know that this world really is good but sometimes, we have to clear the debris to be able to see it. We have to experience something that takes us back down to earth, back to basics to know what is really important.

As the tornado was passing by my house and all I could see was blackness, all I could hear was the loud rumble that sounded like a freight train roaring by and as I felt my home shake, I knew at that moment that the only things that really mattered was my family. All I cared about was that we were all together and safe. Then later as I walked through debris helping my fellow citizens sift through what was left of their lives, I thought about what else was important. What about the memories, the pictures, the keepsakes? The people seemed to keep repeating, “We have our lives.” They didn’t care about the house, they cared about the memories that it held. Many even joked that they had been meaning to get rid of a few things. The tornado had definitely done that for them.

Stop and take some time to think about what is important to you. If everything you had were gone tomorrow, what would you value the most to want to take with you? Then take the steps necessary to make that happen. Sift through what is cluttering up your life and make what is important a priority.

We don’t know when disaster is going to hit but if we live our lives expecting it and waiting for the worst, are we really living? Can we live in fear of the “what if”? We certainly can’t stop it or control it. What we can have is hope. Hope for what the future holds. Hope for mankind and the acts of kindness others display when we are hurting. Hope that life can get better. Hope that we can rebuild whatever dreams have been ripped away from up. Hope that we can rewrite our memories and create a new life while looking to the future.

Related Articles
  The Joplin Perspective
  The Importance of WhistleBlowing
  A Question of Balance
  Sometimes You Have To Blow Your Own Trumpet
  Fail Proof Way To Suceed And Not Fizzle Out

Article Tags: debris, devastation, disaster relief efforts, earthquake, empty lot, flood, football fields, holly colorado, hurricane, miles per hour, mother nature, national weather service, natural disaster, neighbor, radar, time and money, tornado season, tragedy, universe



Related Forum Posts
The Second Life Platform - Greetings! I'm not sure how many of you have heard of or are sensitive to Second Life and its related entities. However, Second Life is a fantastic platform to mimmick real life business operations in a real currency based economy. There are plenty of successful stories for creative individuals, but I'd highly suggest doing your research and appreciating Second Life for what it is, and what it isn't.
Re: The Second Life Platform - [quote="JBunion":fhe23fsu]Greetings! I'm not sure how many of you have heard of or are sensitive to Second Life and its related entities. However, Second Life is a fantastic platform to mimmick real life business operations in a real currency based economy. There are plenty of successful stories for creative individuals, but I'd highly suggest doing your research and appreciating Second Life for what it is, and what it isn't.[/quote:fhe23fsu] Hi JBunion, I've heard about the site. So are you currently a member? And more importantly, have you tried to open a store front in that virtual world?
Re: Charge what you're worth - [quote="Tami Szabo":292ze3jd]People will pay you what you ask. Very few will ever up the price. You are the one who decided what you are worth. The key is that we believe our services are worth the price we are asking.[/quote:292ze3jd] Hi Tami, You're absolutely right. In "Think and Grow Rich", Jessie B. Rittenhouse says "For Life is a just employer, He gives you what you ask, But once you have set the wages, Why, you must bear the task. I worked for a menial's hire Only to learn, dismayed , That any wage I had asked of Life, Life would have willingly paid" (Napoleon Hill 35). I think the same can be said when setting prices on eBay or Craigslist, especially when people are trying to haggle you.
Re: Favorite Christmas movies - [quote="OmnivoreInk":1rxsgr0t]I do have to say I've never liked[i:1rxsgr0t] It's A Wonderful Life[/i:1rxsgr0t]. He spends all his life having his hopes and dreams shattered, feeling miserable, and its only at the end of his life that he can look back and realize how many friends he has, etc. But that doesn't change the fact that up until that point he was miserable![/quote:1rxsgr0t] I love the sentimentality around watching that movie with your Mom! Chtistmas is made up of all those sentimental things. "It's A Wonderful Life" is all about perspective, much in the same way that Scrooge is 'realigned' in Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" - which I listen to on CD every year (sometimes twice!) Happy Christmas Everyone! Regards Martin
Second Life - Real $? - hi Mayra - have you actually made money from Second Life? Is it something can actually do as a business?


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Fear Factors in Small Business: Sales & Marketing

Why SEO is important for your online success

Business Coach Explains To You How To Add Value

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.