Prompt 7 Connection to Storms

I always had a connection with storms. Not just rainstorms, but blizzards, tornadoes, flash flood warnings. Storms that have most people hiding in their house because it’s too dangerous out to go outside.  To me, these storms are like students that no one liked in school and had no friends. Why should sunshine be the only one to have friends?

There was a big snow storm in South Korea last year. It was the first time in 20 years that all the schools in Seoul got shutdown. The only people you would see in the streets were military people who had to clean everything up, well military people and me.  As they were shoving the snow from the streets (I guess Korea never thought about investing in snowplows), I was running in three layers of pants and a hooded sweatshirt in the middle of the street. Cars were abandoned and most were unlocked. It would be paradise for people who played Grand Theft Auto, but all those people stayed in their homes playing the video game instead. On that day, I ran for three hours.

I don’t feel the same way with sunny days. It might be because deep down I’m a loner, and I don’t like to sweat. When I look outside during a thunderstorm, I see loneliness, but feel happy that I can play outside with them. As a child, they were like scary movies to me. A part of me was afraid, but I would still keep watching.

Now as an adult (I guess I’m an adult) I’m still afraid, but instead of watching, I’m in the movie. And what I know about scary movies is that the Asian kid never dies. My mom would yell at me for running outside when there’s lightning out. She doesn’t understand the probability of me getting struck by lightning is me winning the lottery. My dad plays the lottery almost every week. There was once where he had every number correct except for one. Once he wins the lottery, I’ll stop running.

As an adult though, I get fewer chances to run in storms than when I was a kid. I’m either working or sleeping. If I’m so lucky enough to be woken up by a storm I usually go for a walk. My least favorite storms are hail storms, but even then, if I have enough clothes on and have a hockey mask, I don’t mind hail so much.

Flood warnings are the best. Living in Erie, we got them a lot. When water reaches your knees and at anytime you could get hit by a car, well that’s living on the edge for me. I can’t tell you how many times cars honked at me either for saying “Hi” or saying “Get the F out of the road.” To me this is how you experience nature. You go head on and hope your dad doesn’t win the lottery.