You know that question, if you could have a superpower, what would it be? After contemplating many possibilities (flying, being invisible) I’ve decided that I definitely want my superpower to be the ability to control the weather.
We have another hurricane heading to Florida. It’s forecast to hit the Tampa area, which is terrible (if you haven’t already read it, here’s Stephany’s post– her car was totaled in the flooding from Helene, and now she has to evacuate.) After it hits the west coast, Milton will continue across the state- hopefully staying just to the north of us.
But we have a tropical storm warning, so school has been canceled for Wednesday and Thursday, and all after school activities are canceled for this week. For my daughter this includes a rehearsal, a concert, an audition for an all-county band, a football game and a band picnic. WHAT are the odds that this storm would hit us in this week of all weeks, where so many things were scheduled??? I’m really cranky about this, because we were supposed to bring soda to the picnic, and now I have about 50 cans of Coke in my fridge. Grr.
(Yes, I know- people died from Helene, and I’m complaining about having too much Coke. Yes, I feel like a bad person.)
I hate not knowing what’s going to happen. Did they cancel school for nothing? Should we be putting up our hurricane shutters? At least, it seems smart to prepare for a power outage. Let’s see- do we have our battery powered fans? Check. Lamps? Check. Beer? Check. (WAIT. How did that get on the list?) Food? Che-eck… a trip to the store is probably in order. Water? Nope. I’ll start filling bottles with our purified tap water (or, if we have a boil water order, we can just start drinking Coke, heh heh.)
I don’t mean to make light of the situation. There’s no great outcome here. If I say I hope the storm doesn’t hit Tampa, then I’m wishing it on someone else. But since I can’t control the weather (darn!) I have an alternative superpower.
From this article, “40 Simple Rules for Life”, #37: Separate almost everything into two: things you can control and those you can’t. Don’t waste time and energy on what you can’t influence.
Yes, that’s a superpower right there. I’ll prepare, hope for the best, and deal with whatever happens. Sending love to all our fellow Floridians on the west coast! Hope everyone is safe.
Top photo by Mélody P on Unsplash
26 Responses
It’s so unsettling waiting for a storm and not knowing how bad it will be! And I know your storms are often much worse than our storms.
At least you have Coke, if you need extra carbs, liquids and caffeine! 😀
Yes, I’m all set for a long run! Too bad it will be storming outside.
We used to have an apartment in Naples, FL, and sold it in December 2019. Even then, hurricanes were a regular occurrence, but not with the frequency and magnitude of these that are sweeping across Florida now. I feel so sorry!
It’s not only the hurricanes and the aftermath, but the economic impact that will follow: e. g. insurance rates will sky rocket (even more) and house prices will continue to drop as more and more people will start to leave the region.
Stay safe, Jenny!
Thank you Catrina! And, glad you don’t still have that apartment in Naples- the storm is heading right to it.
You convinced me to never move to Florida. lol.
Yes I would love to control the weather. 50 degrees sunny and no wind for all my races.
Stay safe.
Thanks Darlene. And, yes, that’s my race weather as well!
I would also love to control the weather. I think that would be an incredible super power. I wish I could also control everyone’s mood. Let’s make everyone happy and respectful and generous and fun-loving.
Alas, that’s not the way works. But what a sucker punch to Florida so quickly after Helene. I’m hoping it miraculously blows off to sea without hitting Florida…
Ooh, that’s a good one. I would love to be able to control everyone’s mood!
I can’t even fathom how terrifying and destructive a hurricane can be, I hope everyone in its path stays safe!
As much as I complain about the ongoing heat here, we don’t really have many natural disasters in Arizona besides wildfires, so I feel very lucky in that regard. Last summer, a big monsoon storm knocked out power at my apartment for 24 hours which is the longest power outage I’ve been through, and it did suck trying to sleep in a hot apartment and having to throw out everything in my fridge, but I can’t imagine what it’s like for all the people who lost power for days/weeks with Helene!
Yes, these people are dealing with no electricity in the HEAT, so they have no AC. It truly sucks (that’s why first on my list was battery powered fans!) Arizona is sounding like a pretty great place to live…
As much as I complain about the cold weather in MN, at least we do not have many life-threatening natural disasters to contend with. I feel so bad for Stephany and others who have been impacted by Helene and are preparing for another huge storm. Gah. Sending lots of good thoughts and prayers to everyone in the storm’s path!
I guess everyone has something. The cold isn’t fun either, but at least it’s not life threatening.
The cold certainly can be life-threatening if you lose power/heat! Remember how people in Texas died when the power went out in 2021? Hypothermia is a thing!
You’re right- no one is going to die from being too hot. Except me. Just kidding.
My best friend just called me today and she was crying thinking about all the people impacted by these hurricanes and I was really having a hard time calming her down. Maybe I should suggest she make controlling the weather her superpower?
I think I’d rather be able to talk with animals (like…they know what’s up with weather – I’d just ask a squirrel) OR see the future so I could tell people who live hundreds of miles inland that a hurricane is going to land there! I worry that could turn into a Cassandra situation where no one ever believe me, though.
My best friend just called me today and she was crying thinking about all the people impacted by these hurricanes and I was really having a hard time calming her down. Maybe I should suggest she make controlling the weather her superpower?
I think I’d rather be able to talk with animals (like…they know what’s up with weather – I’d just ask a squirrel) OR see the future so I could tell people who live hundreds of miles inland that a hurricane is going to land there! I worry that could turn into a Cassandra situation where no one ever believe me, though.
Yes, I want that to be my superpower- talking to the animals. I don’t think I want to see the future.
Sending you and your family so many safe thoughts! I’m sure it’s hard to know how to prepare when weather is so unpredictable… My little family was actually set to spend the long weekend at Universal Studios that we are in the process of canceling because of the storm (luckily it was a surprise for my daughter so she won’t feel like she’s missing out on anything). It’s one of those moments where 2 things can be true at once: we can be bummed that we aren’t getting this break but also empathetic to what folks in the path must be going through and will go through. Oof, this is a wild world we live in.
Lindsay, I totally know your thought process. Darn, we can’t go to Universal! Oh wait, people could die and/or lose their homes. Yes, things have definitely been wild lately.
Yes, controlling the weather sounds like a great superpower. Failing that, I’ll take the ability to follow the “don’t waste time and energy on what you can’t influence” rule.
Stay safe!
Thank you Birchie! Controlling the weather is still my first choice!
I was discussing this last night at dinner and I really think hurricanes are the absolute worst in terms of terrifying weather events. Fires are scary but can usually be contained. Tornadoes are scary but they are pretty isolated where they touch down. But hurricanes? Absolutely terrifying. Water is so destructive, and those winds, too. Hoping that it’s not as bad as predicted, and that everyone is safe.
Thank you Nicole! I don’t know… I’m really afraid of fires. But maybe that’s because I’ve been through several hurricanes but no fires- fear of the unknown.
I don’t know what my superpower choice would be, but I really like the one you said! I feel like I am not very good at reflecting on what is controllable or not, nor am I particularly good at just letting something uncontrollable go. I think sometimes certain things kind of ARE controllable, in a way, but I don’t always pause and take the time to figure that out. (Obviously not referring to the weather here, although I do think that if weather is a consistent stressor/issue, I suppose one could argue that an “action” or “control step” could be giving actual, serious thought to moving somewhere else.) But in other areas of life, I sometimes default to being like, Ugh I hate xyz happening… without thinking if there are any actual tangible steps I could take to change the situation in some way. (again, not applicable in say, your situation of having school cancelled and 50 cans of Coke in your fridge- that is already done and at this point is truly out of your control. BUT, in a situation like that, one action step could be to ship those cans of Coke to your friend Kae, who would love to be able to drink them. LOLLOL!!!! 🤣 Just kidding!!!). I guess that’s where you superpower part comes in- to be able to easily discern which situations have a remedy, and which truly do not!
I think I would like my superpower to be feeling fully rested and healthy after two hours of sleep a night. It would free up so much time!
Of course, I write this from a hotel room near Miami, so weather control sounds good right now.
I wish you could control the weather! That would make things a lot easier. But did you know that’s the latest conspiracy theory? The government is controlling the weather and causing these huge storms! *eye roll*
We got very lucky in our area as the storm didn’t hit St. Petersburg directly, but we did get the outer edges of it and lots of buildings/homes were damaged. Thanks for thinking of me, though! It’s been a very hard hurricane season and it makes me consider moving to a place more inland because evacuating SUCKS.