Extreme Caution

S

Steel Valley FB

Well-known member
Have you ever been in a close relationship, whether it be with a spouse, family member, friend, boss, etc, who had an extremely low risk tolerance and simply doesn’t listen to reason or statistics/probability when it comes to the likely and eventual actual outcome of a pending issue or potential problem? Everyone has their own internal risk level or risk tolerance, I understand, but some people (meet my wife, everyone) veer so much on the side of caution and safety that it’s almost intolerable to live, deal, or work with that person.

Take this current storm/weather situation going on right now in Ohio that started last night and is/was expected to culminate in possible tornadoes across the region today. I’ve never known someone who prepped so much for supposed impending bad weather. It started last night with asking me to stock up on supplies at Kroger…food, batteries, charging my flashlights, and i came back to the basement rec room completely rearranged with mattresses and pillows and blankets set up. Get gas and pull out the generator, she’s going to Costco at 9:30AM to get more supplies. I woke up to a text saying the kids aren’t going to school today. There’s more, but you get the picture. Oh, and today or yesterday was the Xenia 50th anniversary so this must be serious. My wife is one of the smartest and intuitive people i know but when it comes to weather, I’ll just say it, she’s nuts.

What can you do or say to someone who is acting only out of concern and the preservation of family safety, but in an extreme amount? In their mind, they’re saving the day and possibly saving lives and there is no argument they’ll listen to. It’s not just weather, but I won’t go into the other things. The storm has turned out just as I expected so far, and the radar tells me it’s likely going to be much ado about little. Let’s face it, sometimes the well intentioned can go overboard and drive other people crazy.

What do you guys do with people like this in your lives? Don’t say leave her lol. This is a tiny blip on the radar of actual life problems, but when things like this come up it can be SO annoying. :)
 
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Steel Valley FB said:
Have you ever been in a close relationship, whether it be with a spouse, family member, friend, boss, etc, who had an extremely low risk tolerance and simply doesn’t listen to reason or statistics/probability when it comes to the likely and eventual actual outcome of a pending issue or potential problem? Everyone has their own internal risk level or risk tolerance, I understand, but some people (meet my wife, everyone) veer so much on the side of caution and safety that it’s almost intolerable to live, deal, or work with that person.

Take this current storm/weather situation going on right now in Ohio that started last night and is/was expected to culminate in possible tornadoes across the region today. I’ve never known someone who prepped so much for supposed impending bad weather. It started last night with asking me to stock up on supplies at Kroger…food, batteries, charging my flashlights, and i came back to the basement rec room completely rearranged with mattresses and pillows and blankets set up. Get gas and pull out the generator, she’s going to Costco at 9:30AM to get more supplies. I woke up to a text saying the kids aren’t going to school today. There’s more, but you get the picture. Oh, and today or yesterday was the Xenia 50th anniversary so this must be serious. My wife is one of the smartest and intuitive people i know but when it comes to weather, I’ll just say it, she’s nuts.

What can you do or say to someone who is acting only out of concern and the preservation of family safety, but in an extreme amount? In their mind, they’ve saving the day and possibly saving lives and there is no argument they’ll listen to. It’s not just weather, but I won’t go into the other things. The storm has turned out just as I expected so far, and the radar tells me it’s likely going to be much ado about little. Let’s face it, sometimes the well intentioned can go overboard and drive other people crazy.

What do you guys do with people like this in your lives? Don’t say leave her lol. This is a tiny blip on the radar of actual life problems, but when things like this come up it can be SO annoying. :)
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Find a cozy beer joint and head up there for 2-3 hours.

I knew things got crazy when the Weather Channel started naming "Winter Storms" like they were hurricanes, and most in the "danger zone" got about two inches of snow.
 
OldSoulon said:
Find a cozy beer joint and head up there for 2-3 hours.

I knew things got crazy when the Weather Channel started naming "Winter Storms" like they were hurricanes, and most in the "danger zone" got about two inches of snow.
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I was just told that there's something called a 'Torcon' scale. Apparently we're at a 7. Lol.
 
Steel Valley FB said:
Have you ever been in a close relationship, whether it be with a spouse, family member, friend, boss, etc, who had an extremely low risk tolerance and simply doesn’t listen to reason or statistics/probability when it comes to the likely and eventual actual outcome of a pending issue or potential problem? Everyone has their own internal risk level or risk tolerance, I understand, but some people (meet my wife, everyone) veer so much on the side of caution and safety that it’s almost intolerable to live, deal, or work with that person.

Take this current storm/weather situation going on right now in Ohio that started last night and is/was expected to culminate in possible tornadoes across the region today. I’ve never known someone who prepped so much for supposed impending bad weather. It started last night with asking me to stock up on supplies at Kroger…food, batteries, charging my flashlights, and i came back to the basement rec room completely rearranged with mattresses and pillows and blankets set up. Get gas and pull out the generator, she’s going to Costco at 9:30AM to get more supplies. I woke up to a text saying the kids aren’t going to school today. There’s more, but you get the picture. Oh, and today or yesterday was the Xenia 50th anniversary so this must be serious. My wife is one of the smartest and intuitive people i know but when it comes to weather, I’ll just say it, she’s nuts.

What can you do or say to someone who is acting only out of concern and the preservation of family safety, but in an extreme amount? In their mind, they’ve saving the day and possibly saving lives and there is no argument they’ll listen to. It’s not just weather, but I won’t go into the other things. The storm has turned out just as I expected so far, and the radar tells me it’s likely going to be much ado about little. Let’s face it, sometimes the well intentioned can go overboard and drive other people crazy.

What do you guys do with people like this in your lives? Don’t say leave her lol. This is a tiny blip on the radar of actual life problems, but when things like this come up it can be SO annoying. :)
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It sounds like some therapy for anxiety could be beneficial.
 
Orin Swift said:
It sounds like some therapy for anxiety could be beneficial.
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She definitely has bouts of anxiety, but not attacks or anything. She’s a type A who believes hard work and effort can solve any problem, then attempts to. Those types tend to not understand, or not accept, that which is out of their control and that’s usually hard for type A’s.
 
OldSoulon said:
Find a cozy beer joint and head up there for 2-3 hours.

I knew things got crazy when the Weather Channel started naming "Winter Storms" like they were hurricanes, and most in the "danger zone" got about two inches of snow.
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I quit alcohol 7-8 years ago. I did spend much of last night at pool league though…while she scrambled to battle the storm at home.

Alas, it turned out to be just rain and some thunder in Franklin County, while Delaware County got the brunt of it here. Columbus is known for being in a spot where storms break apart or split and go around, because of the valleys where the two rivers run parallel and then join, which i told her and about and why the early Indians settled here because it was a mild weather spot. I was preaching to the choir however. Even though I wasn’t 100% sure it would miss us, i was pretty sure.
 
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Steel Valley FB said:
Have you ever been in a close relationship, whether it be with a spouse, family member, friend, boss, etc, who had an extremely low risk tolerance and simply doesn’t listen to reason or statistics/probability when it comes to the likely and eventual actual outcome of a pending issue or potential problem? Everyone has their own internal risk level or risk tolerance, I understand, but some people (meet my wife, everyone) veer so much on the side of caution and safety that it’s almost intolerable to live, deal, or work with that person.

Take this current storm/weather situation going on right now in Ohio that started last night and is/was expected to culminate in possible tornadoes across the region today. I’ve never known someone who prepped so much for supposed impending bad weather. It started last night with asking me to stock up on supplies at Kroger…food, batteries, charging my flashlights, and i came back to the basement rec room completely rearranged with mattresses and pillows and blankets set up. Get gas and pull out the generator, she’s going to Costco at 9:30AM to get more supplies. I woke up to a text saying the kids aren’t going to school today. There’s more, but you get the picture. Oh, and today or yesterday was the Xenia 50th anniversary so this must be serious. My wife is one of the smartest and intuitive people i know but when it comes to weather, I’ll just say it, she’s nuts.

What can you do or say to someone who is acting only out of concern and the preservation of family safety, but in an extreme amount? In their mind, they’re saving the day and possibly saving lives and there is no argument they’ll listen to. It’s not just weather, but I won’t go into the other things. The storm has turned out just as I expected so far, and the radar tells me it’s likely going to be much ado about little. Let’s face it, sometimes the well intentioned can go overboard and drive other people crazy.

What do you guys do with people like this in your lives? Don’t say leave her lol. This is a tiny blip on the radar of actual life problems, but when things like this come up it can be SO annoying. :)
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My wife is just the opposite. After it rained really hard @630 pm (she was on her computer in the living room) she asked me when was the bad weather suppose to arrive?
 
Weather channel and local news alerts are all about the $$$$$$$$$$. The more you watch, the more they charge for commercials. The more you watch the more groceries are needed. With weather apps on your phone there is really no need for the weather channel or local alerts.
I say blame God for global warming 😜, because if we were still in the ice age the tornados/bad weather would have no affect on the mid-west because no one would live here.
 
Small talking to my chiropractor today about wives and he randomly says his wife in past the two months is now terrified of tornadoes and so they now also have beds in the “safest” spot in the basement with extra supplies lol. Not that I’m disparaging her, safety is important, but it was so similar to my story that I had to laugh.
 
Steel Valley FB said:
Small talking to my chiropractor today about wives and he randomly says his wife in past the two months is now terrified of tornadoes and so they now also have beds in the “safest” spot in the basement with extra supplies lol. Not that I’m disparaging her, safety is important, but it was so similar to my story that I had to laugh.
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Reading this along with your OP, I know exactly what you're talking about. My father is like that, and we did the "beds in the basement" thing several times overnight when I was a kid.

Back then it seemed like a conspiratorial camping adventure - we had the flashlights, candles, radios, batteries, etc. It didn't help that he and I both witnessed a tornado in '73 that took out a few homes near friends of ours.

He doesn't do that anymore, but he still watches the TV weather with the intensity of an air traffic controller during rush hour at O'hare.
 
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Zunardo said:
Reading this along with your OP, I know exactly what you're talking about. My father is like that, and we did the "beds in the basement" thing several times overnight when I was a kid.

Back then it seemed like a conspiratorial camping adventure - we had the flashlights, candles, radios, batteries, etc. It didn't help that he and I both witnessed a tornado in '73 that took out a few homes near friends of ours.

He doesn't do that anymore, but he still watches the TV weather with the intensity of an air traffic controller during rush hour at O'hare.
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He just loved you and my wife with my kids with caution beyond yours and my reasonable expectations. They meant well. A little annoying, but we’re both blessed they care that much. Even though next time she does it I’m dottin’ one of her eyes lol.
 
Steel Valley FB said:
Small talking to my chiropractor today about wives and he randomly says his wife in past the two months is now terrified of tornadoes and so they now also have beds in the “safest” spot in the basement with extra supplies lol. Not that I’m disparaging her, safety is important, but it was so similar to my story that I had to laugh.
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I think nearly everyone has some thing in life that they wrestle with from an anxiety standpoint. My wife loves storms, and never thinks or worries about their destructive power, but put something benign like an eclipse in the sky and she comes home with cases of bottled water, dried food and garden seeds. The anxiety is real, and the ability to listen to reason is not. My anxiety is financial.
 
D4fan said:
I think nearly everyone has some thing in life that they wrestle with from an anxiety standpoint. My wife loves storms, and never thinks or worries about their destructive power, but put something benign like an eclipse in the sky and she comes home with cases of bottled water, dried food and garden seeds. The anxiety is real, and the ability to listen to reason is not. My anxiety is financial.
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I will readily admit that tornado's are my anxiety thing. My dream is to build a house that is fully below ground so that it is safe from from the naders
 
Not much can be said. I like to live my life in percentages. Yes, tornados happen, storms happen, people sadly die in these situations, BUT...if you consider all the places that's NOT had a tornado rip through, your chances of not having one of these events is much better than having one. Period. Can you be prepared, yes. Do you need to be prepared for a month without power? Nah.

Also, not sure where you are at in your faith, but this is where you have to have the faith that no matter what happens, God will be with you. Now that doesn't mean you do absolutely nothing and if a storm hits, God is going to turn 2 fish a 5 loaves of bread into a smorgasbord, but just some reasonable preparation is appropriate.
 
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