Weathering the Storm

I am always curious, asking sometimes the most ridiculous of questions. On this rainy morning, one of those ridiculous questions has caused me to ponder a deeper significance. I was watching the weather map and the direction the rain storm was traveling. The map remained still showing the storm in motion. But we are on a rotating object, we are in motion as well.  

So which is in motion; the storm, us or both? A ridiculous thought that caused a detour in my morning, a detour I will take you on as well. Yes, both are in motion. The storm and the earth. Add a third variable in the mix, we can be in motion as well. 

When a storm, say a hurricane, approaches, we can prepare for it and then wait out the storm. We remain still as the earth moves us and the storm moves above, effecting our surroundings.  Or we can out run the storm, get ahead or out of its path in hopes to miss it all together. 

Curiosity sparks learning, learning sparks growth. So me being curious, I got to learning. 

What if we removed the earths rotation, or the possibility of me moving to get out of the storms path. The storms course is set to be a direct hit to my location with heavy rain, strong winds, and lightning strikes. One strike is to hit my exact location. If I didn’t move I would be struck and toast. 

But the earth does rotate. Now what happens to the storm? Science! “Winds blow across the Earth from high-pressure systems to low-pressure systems. However, winds don’t travel in a straight line. The actual paths of winds—and of ocean currents, which are pushed by wind—are partly a result of the Coriolis effect.” (National Geographic Society) Who knew…The Coriolis Effect? ???? If I understand the Coriolis Effect correctly the earths rotation has a partial factor in the direction, path, of the storm. 

That means applied to the previous scenario, a storm with the heavy rains, strong winds, and lightning strikes, the lightning strike that would have been a direct fatal hit misses me! 

What am I saying?

In the storms I am weathering, without the ability to out run or get out of its path, the smallest of action (movement) can alter the direction of the storm. It won’t change or remove the strong winds, heavy rains, or even the fatal lightning strikes. What it will do is alter the location of the strikes, changing the fatal strikes to a near miss or complete miss. Allowing me to keep moving and to surviving the storm. So I keep on keeping on. I keep having action. I keep moving, no matter how small or massive the movement. It may seem insignificant but it can be the difference of a direct, fatal hit or a complete miss. 

Ridiculous questions can be a good thing. ????