Intuition and Tornadoes

Why you should ALWAYS trust your gut-feeling

My guardian angel, Henry, probably thought about smacking me upside the head last Friday. I did something I rarely do. I ignored my intuition on multiple occasions. Here’s the scoop.

Bad weather was in the forecast, with hail and possible tornados expected around 3:00. That’s when school is released, and parents would be picking up their kids. I told my daughter, Sky, to bring her watch to school (it doubles as a phone.) I’d call her and pick her up at 2:30 to avoid the storms if the weather got bad enough. Just as I was dropping her off, we realized she had forgotten her watch. Mistake number one.

I had a strong urge to go home and bring the watch back up to her. But my morning was busy, so I ignored that thought and went about my day. Mistake number two. The strangest vision ran through my head as I drove away from her school. I imagined it being 3:00 and the tornado sirens going off at the same time kids were walking out of school. I then imagined teachers pulling the children back into the school for shelter while helpless parents remained in the parking lot. I shuddered at the thought. But I shrugged off the entire idea as my overactive imagination coming up with worse-case scenarios. Mistake number three.

2:30 rolled around, and I realized we were in a tornado watch. “Eh, it’s not a warning,” I thought to myself. Besides, the sky looked relatively calm. A little cloudy, but certainly not ominous. I decided to pick up Sky at 3:00 like usual. Mistake number four.

I parked my car in the school lot. As I began walking to the designated pick-up area, the weather alert on my phone started blaring. Seconds later, the tornado sirens went off. Kids had just exited the building. I noticed a flustered teacher receiving a message on her Walkie-Talkie. She hollered at the students to get back inside and take cover. Parents remained in the parking lot, wondering what to do and where to go.

Luckily for me, my sister, Elizabeth, lives in a house just beyond the corner of the school parking lot. I left my car and ran to her home, letting myself in with the garage code. I desperately wanted to call Sky. Was she scared? Was I permitted to come inside and get her? The skies grew darker with each passing minute. Despite knowing I should be in the basement, I paced back and forth on the back deck, waiting to see if they’d eventually re-release the students. With sweaty palms and my heart racing, I tipped my head skyward. Never have I felt so vulnerable and helpless.

The weather reports indicated several tornados were on the ground. My brother texted me a video he’d captured earlier of a tornado headed toward his house in Waverly. Thankfully, it lifted before reaching him, but this did little to calm my nerves.

The news stations reported that a tornado might reach Elkhorn in 15 minutes. Then, ten minutes. Then five. At that moment, I got a call from an unknown number. I answered, and it was Sky calling from a friend’s mom’s phone inside the school. They were releasing students if the parent was present to pick them up. I sprinted to the school and, with the assistance of a teacher, finally located which classroom Sky was in.

Doing my best to speak calmly, I took her backpack and said, “Honey, I need you to run faster than you’ve ever run before, okay?” We sprinted through the parking lot and took cover in Elizabeth’s basement. By then, she’d arrived home with her two young boys. We huddled in the closet with the three kids and played relaxation music on the iPad to keep them calm.

Moments later, curiosity got the best of us. Elizabeth and I walked up to her back deck. The northwestern sky was dark as night. I could see rotation off in the distance. I looked at Elizabeth, and she looked at me. I don’t remember what we said, but we were both thinking the same thing. It was a tornado so large I couldn’t tell where it ended and the rest of the sky began. Thankfully, it appeared to be moving away from us. But I had a lump in my throat wondering how people out there were faring against such a monster.

As many of you know, an EF-3 tornado leveled countless homes in parts of Elkhorn, Nebraska, last Friday, April 26th. Almost miraculously, there were no fatalities from that particular tornado. Thanks to advanced warning systems and diligent forecasting, lives were spared that fateful afternoon.

Clean-up efforts will continue around the clock indefinitely. It’s hard to find a silver lining when tragedy strikes. But looking at this event through our lens of spirituality, I will say this. These unfortunate events allow people in the community to be of assistance. We’re seeing strangers helping strangers. We’re seeing a community come together like never before. Tragedy paves the way for humans to be resourceful, cooperative, and resilient.

My house was spared. So was my daughter’s school. Had the storm shifted one mile to the east, I might not have a computer (or a house) to write these words. Are we lucky? Are we blessed? I don’t think the Universe plays favorites. I’m no more deserving of safety than the folks who had their homes destroyed. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people. This much is true. But bad things also happen to bring out the good in people. And this gives us hope.

Like you, I wish nobody ever had to suffer. I wish life was easy and safe. Then again, if that were the case, I suppose counselors, clean-up crews, weather reporters, storm chasers, and emergency responders wouldn’t have much to do. You see, there is a little bit of order within the chaos. And through the storm clouds, there’s always some light. You just have to rise above the darkness to see it.

Now, let’s talk intuition. Call it a sixth sense, a hunch, or psychic abilities. Whatever you choose to call it, please listen to yours! I broke the cardinal rule last Friday. I ignored my gut feeling - not once, not twice, but several times. Sure, we must not run around each day thinking the sky is falling. But act accordingly when a premonition lands on your shoulder and continues to poke you. I always tell people that listening to your intuition makes life easier and better. Ignoring your intuition makes life harder and more complicated. Taking my own advice would have allowed me to get Sky from school much earlier that day, which would have been nice. As things shook out, it felt like we were inside the movie Twister.

On a lighter note, I’d like to dedicate this article to Bill Randby’s rolled-up shirt sleeves (if you know, you know.) Personally, I think he should have done away with the button-down shirt and rocked a tank top during that storm. Who’s got time for sleeves when tracking the whereabouts of a freaking twister?! Good heavens. Someone, please forward this article to Billy-Boy. And tell him to keep up the excellent work over there at Channel 7.

Out here in the land where Omaha meets Elkhorn, another severe storm is set to arrive in approximately two hours. Time to batten down the hatches. Hell, we might need a boat if we keep getting more rain.

If you’re in my area, please remember I’m doing a Past Lives Gallery Reading this Friday evening. It’s nearly sold out, so get tickets while you still can.

And this coming Sunday, May 5th is the release day for my new book - We’re All Just Doing Our Best. You’ll be able to purchase it on Amazon. If you do, be sure to email a screenshot of your purchase to my office so you’re in the running for a $222 Soul Discovery session. The winner will be announced the following day.

*Deep breath*

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading, and stay safe out there.

Cheers,

Andy

Books currently available