“‘You are what you eat.’ I don’t remember eating anxiety and back problems, but alright.” ~ Unknown
Today, my chaotic week was redeemed when I had the opportunity to interview meteorologist and familiar face in Central and Eastern Kentucky Bill Meck. We talked about, you guessed it – Weather! We talked primarily about tornadoes and just how unique the March 2, 2012, tornado in West Liberty was, which is the topic of my thesis (hence the interview). Bill is one of the rare people who grew up to become exactly what he wanted to be – a weatherman. For those who know Bill’s face and perhaps have watched his weather forecasts on WLEX-18 for the last 25 years, I can report that he is every bit as kind as he appears to be. I told him the story of my family’s experience with the tornado; that is, his coverage of the tornado was responsible for saving Aunt Janet’s life. If I had not turned on the TV when I did and heard him say the twister was on Liberty Road, the road Hero and Shero lived on for 40 years, I wouldn’t have called Mom, who had no idea anything was happening and she, in turn, wouldn’t have called Janet, who also had no idea what was happening but took mom’s advice to move to the bathroom. Without that chain of events, the pine tree that pierced the roof and pinned Janet’s recliner to the floor would have killed her because she had been sitting in that chair when she answered Mom’s call. In the interview, Bill mentioned how many meteorologists use a subtle change of voice when the weather turns serious, and I have watched Bill’s forecasts enough to know that’s true. It’s subtle, but for him, at least, he turns from the kindly guy next door to a very serious professional, which I appreciate. Bill imparted a lot of wisdom, and being the meteorological nerd I am, I could have talked to him all day. I became downright giddy to learn that he was once a storm chaser. If I didn’t like him before, I absolutely liked him after that. Any day you meet and make a new friend is a day well spent. Mine was a day well spent.
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