I hate to sound harsh, but I’m gonna sound harsh.  Uncaring, unfeeling, cold.  I don’t mean to, but that’s how it will sound.  So if you like me, you might want to stop here; you might not like me after what I say.

In truth, you may have thought it yourself.                      

If you live in a trailer in Tornado Alley expect to be a statistic.

Knowing better does not include magical thinking like “it won’t happen to us”.  There’s nothing magical about being prepared; that takes work and planning with full realization of consequences.  Like maybe digging a hole in the ground next to a mobile home, just in case.

I indulge in my own magical thinking when the reality stinks.  It’s magical thinking to put myself in a situation to get overheated and thus unable to walk.  Literally.  I rely on David to “rescue” me and that magical thinking traps us both.  He has to always be around (even metaphorically) and I have to have the expectation of a 2 year old: running away but looking behind to make sure mommy is there in case she’s needed.

I don’t know how much those poor tornado-stricken folks live with the delusion of “it can’t happen to us”.  Maybe each of us needs to tempt fate and feel empowered each time we cheat and win.

I know, and you do too, that always and eventually it is not us that wins.  There’s no magic in predicting that.

You can read more about facing adversity in one of my favorite reads:  Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales.