No More Dark and Stormy Nights Please

I got my fill of "tornadic activity," as the Weather Channel calls it, when such an event took out my sister's house and the rest of Greensburg, Kansas, back in 2007.

But whether I've had my fill or not, they continue to take place. Unfortunately, in recent weeks, I've become pretty neglectful about checking ahead on the weather. I check ahead as far as an hour if I go for a walk. Beyond that, I'm a poor planner.

When I went to bed last night, we were having the worst lightning storm I think I've ever seen. I muted the TV but kept it on just so the room would stay bright enough to block out the flashes outside...and I hoped that would let me sleep.

And then I got a text from Phats, telling me we were under a warning. (This was an impressive move from him, considering he'd already lost power at his house and was yet able to have more information than I had with the TV on.) I probably shouldn't have just admitted that out loud.

I really was not all that interested in responding to such a warning. I was sleepy and wanted to stay in bed. But when his warning was followed up with the work text warning, I figured I should at least make a concerted effort.

Please keep in mind, I do not have a safe room in my house. So if the house goes, I'm likely to go with it. But I did want it to at least appear I'd tried to put up a fight. I grabbed an armload of my most treasured possessions and headed to the bathroom, the must unsafe safe spot in the house.

I opened the blinds so I wouldn't have to stand next to the window, because I did recall that would be a bad move. I kept one eye on the sky (which was light enough to see a tornado if one showed up) and one eye on the weather map on my laptop (which was of little help).

After a few moments and more text updates from Phats, I looked around the bathroom at the sorry mess of stuff I'd brought with me.

People.

It's not like I don't know. It's not like I didn't get a lesson on this stuff in 2007. It's not like I didn't hear everything they should and should not have taken to the basement with them. I really had no excuse.

But should my house have gone down...and should I have survived the unsafe bathroom, here's what I would have had:

* My purse - which was actually a brilliant move, because I'd have money and my ID and all those things. But I must be honest. I only took the purse because it had the camera in it. And I'm not going down without the camera.

* My laptop - which I was fully aware would do me no good if the internet went down. But I'd still have Word. I could write. And really, as long as I can write and take pictures, I'm pretty happy.

* Four journals - because I'm mid-project and if I lose those guys, I lose the whole project. And quite frankly, that would push me over the edge.

Um, that's it.

Things I did not have:

* a flashlight
* water
* keys - you know, in case the car lived
* clothing that was appropriate for TV or newspaper (because I know those people show up and what you see is what you get!)
* extra clothing - in case the Tide Loads of Hope truck didn't get there for a while
* my Bible - I was duly mortified about that and chalked its absence up to pure sleepiness
* shoes - for REAL Rebekah? You're gonna walk barefoot after a tornado?

At last...you know...about 2 in the morning...it was safe to go back to bed. I have duly learned my lesson. Pack a bag, Bekah. Pack a bag.

But really, I'd rather just order a pleasant night instead of a dark and stormy one.