The picture below, is from today right before the crazy hail storm. I saw this cloud and thought it was a tornado. I was afraid, yet I had never seen a tornado, so i continued to drive. As I got closer to this cloud, I started to see the hail storm, not realizing at first it was hail my inital instinct was you dumby you just drove yourself into a tornado. Then the hail hit my car and while I was relieved that I in fact had not driven into a tornado.. I had to drive in the quarter sized hail, though only about a mile to reach my home. It was still very scary.
I decided to wait this storm out in my car, in fear I would get hurt by hail. I sat in my car maybe 2 minutes when a bolt of lighening hit the ground inches from my car.. I am not a fan of lighting, at all, I would rather get a tooth pulled then see a lightening strike. So screaming at the top of my lungs, I jumped out of the car and bolted for my front door. I made it in my house within seconds, though looking like I decided to stand in the rain for five minutes before entering the house. My fear motivated me to risk getting hurt by the large hail so I could get into my home, where it was safer.
My Stimlus
The emotion of terror, I feared lightening so much, I wanted to get to the safest place I could.
Pre-Aware Appraisal
Negative Valence: I thought I was driving into a tornado, which made me panic.
Positive Valence: Realizing it was just a hail storm, though I was still panicing.
Emotion Unfolds
As I was waiting in my car and heard thunder, and finally saw lightening I was content on being afraid in my car, until i saw lightening hit inches from my car.
Aware Appraisal
I am completely aware my level of fear was irrational. The flooding feelings of terror were not within my control when the lightening hit inches from my car. My instict reaction was to grab my purse and bolt for my front door. All previous fears of getting hurt from the hail disappeared, as I exited my car.
I really enjoyed reading your post! I am totally with you on being a complete scaredy cat when it comes to thunderstorms and lightening. But that picture is pretty sick and I would have drove a little closer to get a better look as well!! I really liked how you split up the different parts you really wanted to explain, it was entertaining yet informative and I learned a lot by reading your post.
ReplyDeleteyes, i really enjoyed this post as well and also saw some crazy clouds while i was working on the boardwalk. the storm got so bad that hail and rain were flying into the pizzeria and i had to shut the door. when i returned from outside, it looked as if i just got out of the shower i was so wet. i do not fear thunder storms, but the crackling thunder and lightning never ceases to make me jump!
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