Severe Weather Advisory: Humans May Act Strangely

Have you ever noticed how people start to behave differently when severe weather is on the way?

Not after the storm.

Not during the storm.

But right before it.

It’s like Mother Nature sends out a memo, and suddenly we all reveal who we really are under pressure.

In my experience, you usually see it first at the grocery store.

The carts are fuller than usual. Bread and milk are flying off the shelves like they’re about to be declared contraband. A lady is sighing loudly in aisle five. Someone else is gripping their list like it’s a legal document. People are speeding around with their carts trying to get the last chicken breast or last dozen eggs.

I seem to always notice two very different kinds of people.

There’s the "crabby crew".

They’re irritated that the line is long. Annoyed that the cashier is human and cannot go any faster. Clearly offended that other people had the same idea to prepare for a storm. You can almost feel the tension rolling off them—tight shoulders, pursed lips, eyes darting like everyone else is in the way of their personal emergency plan.

And then… there’s the other group.

The unexpectedly "friendly ones".

The people who crack jokes about buying “just one more can of soup.”

The woman who laughs and says, “Well, I guess we’re all in this together.”

The stranger who comments on the weather and somehow makes it feel lighter, not heavier. The ones that say "thank you" to the cashier and really mean it.

At the grocery store, I actually watched a woman reach in front of a man who was looking at a package of fish and take it. The man looked over at me and just smiled. I smiled back. He shrugged and said "I guess I didn't want that piece after all". He was one of the friendly ones.

And why is everyone buying onions and potatoes! I thought it was supposed to be eggs, mile and bread!

Same storm.

Same grocery store.

Completely different energy.

And then there's the gas station.

Cars lined up. Engines idling. That quiet urgency you can actually feel in the air.

One person is huffing because the pump is slow. Another is glaring at the driver in front of them like they personally scheduled the weather. But then.... someone else holds a door open for you. Someone waves you ahead. Someone says, “Stay safe out there,” and actually means it. Last night I was at Costco filling up my tank. The parking lot was insane and it was difficult to even get to the gas station part of the parking lot. The lines at the pumps were definitely long.

When I got to the pump, I got out and the attendant was standing near. I looked at him and smiled and just said "wow". He said "Yeah, it's been a day!" I started filling my tank and told him I hoped the rest of his day went better. He said as long as no one else yelled at him because Costco does not have window washing stations at the pumps, he'd be ok.

I always think how interesting this is.

Pressure seems to turn the volume up on who we really are.

When things feel uncertain, some of us tighten our grip. We rush. We control. We bristle. Fear shows up as impatience.

And others soften.

They connect. They joke. They remember that everyone around them is also just trying to get home before the sky opens up.

Neither response is “right” or “wrong.” We’re human. Storms—literal or emotional—do funny things to our nervous systems.

But I do think these moments are tiny invitations to think about who we are.

They ask us:

• Who do I become when I feel rushed or unsettled?

• Do I turn inward and tense… or outward and kind?

• What do I want to bring into the room when things feel uncertain?

The truth is, storms are always coming in one form or another. Weather storms. Life storms. Emotional storms we didn’t see on the forecast. (You knew I was going to go here with this, right?)

And maybe the real question isn’t whether we stock up on milk or fill the gas tank in time.

Maybe it’s this:

When the pressure rises, do I become someone who adds to the storm…

or someone who makes the waiting a little warmer for everyone standing in line with me? 😉

Love to all 💗