Tornado Warning!
It’s spring in Alabama. That means two things: 1) your vehicle will be covered with a fine layer of yellow pollen dust and 2) tornado season is here. We live in ‘Tornado Alley’ here in Huntsville. Warm air from the Gulf of Mexico travels north and collides with cooler air coming south/east across the country. And this (very simplistically) creates severe weather, usually involving thunderstorms and sometimes including tornadoes.
Just like people on the West Coast know what to do when an earthquake hits, folks in the South know what do when tornadoes are forecasted. Usually the local weathermen talk about the potential for bad weather a few days in advance so we can all be “weather aware” when the time comes. If the tornado siren (and/or your weather radio) goes off, the first thing most folks do is turn on the TV to watch the local radar loop and see exactly where the tornado is. Depending on where it is, we either take cover immediately or simply keep an eye on the radar loop.
Recently we were expecting some bad weather. So the local schools let out early because the storms were predicted to hit when school normally lets out. My daughter and I were home watching the weather radar when the tornado sirens went off. According to the weatherman, the possible tornado was about 30 miles from our house. So I wasn’t worried, and we didn’t head down to our “safe place.” Several minutes later and with no forewarning, a mighty wind whipped through the trees in the backyard. The rain came down so hard I couldn’t see the garage (20 feet away) through our back window. It only lasted 3-4 minutes before calming, but then the weatherman reported that large trees and power lines were down less than 3 miles away. The next day the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado had touched down nearby.
So what does this have to do with mental health?
I learned an important life lesson last week– you can be prepared, watchful, on your guard- and still be in the path of adversity and caught flatfooted. It’s true of life as well, not just tornadoes. How often have we made the right decisions, played our cards perfectly, walked the “straight and narrow” path– and still fallen into trouble? I know people who eat right, exercise, and keep all their doctor’s appointments. And yet they still receive a troubling health diagnosis. It can be frustrating, angering, sad. Adversity finds all of us at some point.
“Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” I’m sure we’ve all heard this quote before, and it can be so very true. If you’ve experienced adversity (and haven’t we all at one time or another??) and are having a difficult time managing, give me a call. I’ve felt the force of tornadoes– literally and figuratively, and we can work through it together.
If you’re curious about how music therapy and GIM can help, contact me anytime. I’m always happy to answer questions!
