This may come as a shock 😉 but I LOVE❤️ snailmail! I am forever in search of that jolt 😉 of inspiration! Oh hey! Did you guys know that National Lightning Safety Awareness Week is the last full week in June? ⚡️
Despite my silly puns this is a serious issue. I learned many interesting facts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website.⚡️
Lightning is one of the deadliest weather systems there is!! Records kept by NOAA show lightning in the United States has killed more than any other weather factor! (Second is flooding 🌊 and third is tornado🌪). Lightning safety awareness reminds people there is no safe place outdoors when a thunderstorm is in the area. Lightning can strike from over 15 miles away. A lot of lightning injuries and fatalities happened because people were too slow to react to an approaching storm or too quick to get back outdoors before the storm was a safe distance away. Lightning strikes the United States about 25 million times a year. Although most lightning occurs in the summer, people can be struck at any time of year. Lightning kills 20 or more people in the United States each year, and hundreds more are severely injured.
My weather research reminded me of an episode of American Experience Mr. Murphy and I recently watched on PBS about the extraordinary life of “Mr. Tornado.” Tetsyta “Ted” Fujita was born in Kitakyushu City, Japan in 1920. He had a doctorate degree from Tokyo University in mechanical engineering. This amazingly analytical man studied typhoons as his doctoral project. Later he would go on to study the effects of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which would lead him to study meteorology and severe weather at the University of Chicago. I’m sure you’ve heard of the F scale tornado rating system? Well, the “F” stands for Fujita! 🌪
I was most impressed by the meticulous and artful documentation of his research, not only of weather and its phenomena, but also of details of a more personal nature. For 50 years, Mr. Fujita kept charts and graphs of the research and ideas that comprised his life! He eventually combined them into an unique autobiography entitled Memoirs of an Effort to Unlock the Mystery of Severe Storms During the 50 years, 1942-1992.
When the MurphyBros were little I was forever trying to instill noble character qualities into their little lives. I had chore charts, motivational graphs, personal inventory logs and goal documents. One day after the introduction of another similar article, Murphy Boy Wonder pronounced, “You sure like charts and graphs, don’t you, Mom?”
I guess I do. Perhaps, in Mr. Fujita, I discovered a kindred spirit. 📈📊📋 ✏️ ✔️ ❤️ 😊
His approach and commitment have inspired me to record more of my daily life. Every life is valuable and certainly worth chronicling! Maybe someday, way out there in the future, someone will pull my dusty diary off the shelf and look at my charts, graphs and doodles and notice patterns and make observations about how I got from there to here. Maybe there will be some value in seeing it. I believe there is some value in documenting and reflecting on it. 📖 🤔
All of this weather information has inspired me to write some weather themed snailmail. Why not spread the word about lightning safety awareness via snailmail? Perhaps I will read Mr. Fujita’s book or some other weather related book (or biography of some other famous person who was fascinated by weather and liked snailmail...I’m looking at you, Ben Franklin!☺️) and share my thoughts with one of my pen pals!
Or maybe I will send some fun weather based sentiments such as..
*It may come as a shock, but I think you’re great!⚡️
*True friends can weather any storm⛈ 💨
*Warm front heading your way! 😘 ☀️
*Sorry to hear you’re feeling under the weather 🌧
This is why Snailmail is a great creative outlet...the lightning-filled sky is the limit! ⚡️🤩
Go postal, people! And may the wind be at your back and the sun shine on your face!
XOXO,
Mrs. Murphy
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