S=Stress

My life as a full-time writer, mom, wife, chef, maid and part-time art teacher equals stress. Stress comes in all shapes and sizes. I'd like to share a few things that make me stressed. Maybe you'd like to share some as well.

Sibling Rivalry
I'm referring to my own three kids. Can't we just all get along?

Snow
How do I hate thee, winter? Let me count the ways.

Summer vacation
Summer is my favorite season. Once again, I'm referring to my kids. They will be home--with me--all day long. With summer football camps and practices and other sports' camps, hopefully they'll stay busy and out of trouble.
Praying for no broken bones this summer.

Storms
Storms don't stress me one bit. In fact, I love a good thunder storm. It's the aftermath: the damage, the clean-up, the being without power for a week. Since I grew up in the Midwest, I heard the tornado sirens long before I learned to walk. I'm currently still living in the Midwest. When the blast of the eerie siren screams at me in the middle of the night, I decide if it's a viable threat based on my gut feeling. If I do feel danger lurking overhead, I grab a few essentials: contacts, car keys, and, of course, my kids and mosey on down to the basement.

True Story. Last summer sirens shrieked outside my house, again, for the tenth time that week, foreshadowing imminent doom. That was my first warning. My hubby was out of town. I thought to myself, "It's probably just a little wind." After unplugging the computer and cleaning up the living room, I shooed my children to safety. (I know, I'm a terrible mom!) I told my kids to go hide in the basement bathroom to wait out the storm. I have a high tolerance to fear. The picture window in our walk-out basement provided the perfect view of the perfect storm. I considered making some popcorn.

The amber colored sky mixed with blue lightning was my second warning. I opened the door for a peek. Not one single leaf was moving on any of the tall trees in our backyard. That was my third warning. (Three strikes you're out.) It was coming. I closed the door and checked my iPhone's weather app. Wow! I've never seen those colors before on the radar map. Instantly, the picture window went dark. Branches and debris hit the glass. I hit the deck and ran for the bathroom. My oldest son, and I thought my brightest son, said, "I must save my X-box." He ran back upstairs.

In his absence, I heard a thunderous snap just outside our picture window. I thought, If the tornado doesn't kill my son, I will. He returned to the safety of the bathroom shelter. In less than a minute, the tornado was gone. I returned to the great outdoors. The tallest tree in our backyard was snapped in two and scattered across two backyards.

The tornado stayed about one hundred feet off the ground and took out a couple thousand trees throughout town and several hundred roofs, but no one died. Not even that crazy kid who went back upstairs to save his X-box.

Last week's storm left me with a broken patio table and a million shards of glass. I've been cleaning up glass for over a week. What stresses you? Kids, work, writing, cleaning up after kids? Did I mention kids?  

#atozchallenge #amwriting #storms #stress