I’m writing this as we hunker down in the basement during a crazy thunderstorm/on-again-off-again tornado warnings. {…but I know I don’t have enough chocolate for this…} We sure know how to throw a weather party in the Midwest. Seriously. I don’t know the last time we had just a normal week of steady temps and non-exciting weather. I’d like to take a vacation from this “climate” that which is called St. Louis.
But if I were to be very honest with myself, as a native St. Louisan, it’s not that bad. Through the craziness of it all comes a silver-lining.
Community.
I’m sure every city has their own way of communicating the weather updates. I love how our city will instantly rally around our crazy weather and immediately burst into discussion of what they are doing, what they see, how they are going to endure…
It definitely takes the question, “So, how’s the weather?” to a whole new level.
We don’t ask that question around here as conversation filler. It’s a shared connection of a series of random weather experiences that only a St. Louisan could really understand. And the question may be greeted with a chuckle and a grin, or perhaps an even more solemn face. Regardless, we already know.
…once that first snowflake hits, the lightening strikes or a tornado touches down, news anchors interrupt regularly-schedule programming and Twitter lights up with the infamous #stlwx. Without fail, our community starts chatting. We discuss everything in our open forum.
This Thursday, I’m so thankful for this…and of course Ameren, Laclede Gas, police, firefighters and all the first responders who answer our weather’s crazy call.
Love,
A forever St. Louisan
