Choosing to chase or not

[Scott Weberpal]

When I first started chasing, I was out and about with every system I could chase. Did a few WI to TX and back to WI 3-day weekends, did a lot of overnighters from WI to the Dakotas, etc. Not only did that start to catch up with me financially, but I also found myself missing out on other things I loved doing. Today, I'd rather stay home and play in one of my softball leagues and have a beer or two with the team after the game, or go horseback riding, or take my son fishing, than spend an overabundance of time and money chasing a system 500 miles alway.

I've made semi-loose rules concerning how far I'll go to chase, etc. and it's all based on whether or not I have prior commitments and how important those commitments are. 8 or 9 years ago I'd be kicking myself for not chasing on days like certain tornado days this spring, but today, I'm so consumed enjoying other aspects of life that it makes no difference whether I have 1 or 10 tornado days in a year. I'm just happy to have a hobby, like chasing, where even if I'm not directly involved on any given day, I'm still satisfied knowing others are out there enjoying it.

 

[Shane Adams]

At my own request, I took about six months to try and let the chasing thing go and be a "normal" person. I dove back into my previous passion before chasing (music), spent a ton of cash on it, hung out with friends regularly doing "normal" things. And after a while, I began to realize I really hadn't missed out on much the past decade being a dedicated 24-7 chaser. I've always hung out with friends (that will never change of course), but the other things got old. Always being able to attend functions, parties, and other stuff that's more of an "acquaintence" type thing - not a big loss. Staying home on a chase day to watch a movie or have a beer, nothing. Not "wasting" my weekend driving, but instead "using" it to sit around just in case something "normal" comes up...whatever.

There's an old saying, "You can't be something you're not."

I'm just not a typical person, who would view chasing as a hobby. I'm the type of person who throws themself into whatever they're passionate about. I measure success not by money, love, or what society considers "normal". I measure success by happiness, so naturally I've always built my life around the the things that make me happy, that give me a sense of purpose....that make me smile. It just so happens chasing tornadoes does all that for me. I don't want to take lavish vacations around the world, I don't wanna join some "cause" and change the world, and I don't want to spend my life trying to make money. I just wanna chase.

People always mention the "getting older" thing and "priorities change" thing......I even used those terms alot myself last Winter when describing my then-burnout from chasing. But to me that's a load of crap. Life isn't dictated by age for me, I don't make changes because I feel I have to because I'm a certain age. People told me when I was 25 I'd want different things when I'm 35. Nothing's changed. Sure I get older and wiser (can't be helped, every day we attend the University of Life) but what I want and what I'm focused on don't change. I knew what I wanted to do with my life 11 years ago, in a moment of epiphany and clarity, the level of which I'd not experienced before and haven't since. The way I live life is simple.....I'm constantly aware that it will inevitably end, and I don't know when that will be. Therefore, I choose to do what makes me happy. I live my life as I wish because I only get one.

I sat on a scaffold on March 28, at work, thinking about the fact I'd just purposely chosen not to chase a great chase day, for the first time in over ten years.....and then I thought "why?" To prove I don't have to chase? To be normal? What exactly am I giving up my passion to do instead?" None of what I had been doing made sense. Not chasing, I was just a person who went to work, ate his meals, slept at night, and occasionally hung out with friends. That's all I was before chasing, and it's all I was now. Is this what I'm giving up my life's passion to reconnect with? It didn't make sense. Maybe there's a point in time when a person is supposed to magically throw away childhood dreams and passions, and concede to a life of work and paying bills, perhaps having a family (and thus dedicating his life to everyone but himself). I never made it to that meeting, never got that memo. All I've ever known and wanted and persued was.......happiness. People say love is the greatest thing, but I disagree. Love is great because it makes you happy. Happiness is the most wonderful emotion, state of mind, whatever. That's what I gravitate towards. That's what I have to have to keep me sane.

The world? Everyday life? I do that because I don't have a choice. I'm robotic to it. Chasing....that's when I'm truly alive.

 

[Martin Kucera]

I guess it depends on your life situation most of all. You're married, have kids, serious job, etc...
Then it's only your thing how you stack up the priorities. Of course, family and a job that makes your living should be way ahead of chasing at any situation.
Depending on where you live I guess it is not a bad thing to chase as much as you can during May or June. If you chase plenty during these months, good for you. You can do whatever else you need/want during the rest of the year. Remember all the crying here on ST during winter months about people not being able to chase... May is not here yet... it should get busy soon. During those several weeks go out and give it your best. Nothing wrong with that, again.

I want to do what makes me happy. Yes, if you have responsibilities, go ahead, don't let chasing stop you by any means. There will always be more tornadoes... It is up to only you to do what really makes YOU happy. You are free to do whatever you want while you're here for a few more years...
In Florida Keys during summer months it gets really "tough" in a possitive way. Any given day has not enough hours for me to sleep and chase. Yeah, the life is laid back, job pays well and wife is very understanding... so I chase a lot. But it is MY life situation. I don't really feel like missing out on anything else when chasing. There is always time for other things.
And there is always plenty of days with no storms and me wishing there was one.
I scuba dive a lot ...also go boating, fishing, go on trips abroad, go to malls, party with friends... but nothing makes me happier than seeing a good storm, hearing thunder or seeing some serious lightning activity no matter where I am or what the heck else I am doing.
Me and my wife love to go hang out in Key West. Great Irish pubs there. So we are sitting there one afternoon, sipping on some Strongbows... sky gets darker... I grab a camcorder, run to Mallory Square, shoot a quick footage of a great waterspout and casually come back...my wife and a bartender smiling... no stress, taking it easy...not pushing anything...relaxed. Why are people stressing out so much about chasing or during chasing !? What is at stake you might wanna ask yourself... money spent ? What else are you saving those for.... retirement... to be able to chase when you are 70 ? Yeah I know.. the long driving gets very boring sometimes...
Anyway, during summer months I get back from work before midnight and it is usually lightning somewhere nearby, pretty much on a nightly basis. So I grab my equipment and go shoot lightning over the ocean or Everglades, many times till sunrise.. best shots usually come just before sunrise...well, then it is a nice time for early morning waterspout activity... we usually get some good ones during the early am hours. As the day heats up, storms pop everywhere, along with cloud lines that produce waterspouts. So you could be up all day, chasing. Very nice ! And so the cycle goes every day between May and November. Throw in some active hurricane season, severe weather potential during early spring and a trip to the Plains in May/June... I just really enjoy it. I also don't think it helps things when you do it for money reasons...more stress...
What ever you do, you should really feel relaxed about things, otherwise you are never gonna enjoy it...

So, to answer the question - yes, I choose to chase pretty much every time since I feel there is always more than enough opportunities to do "normal" things during other times.

All in all, I could never put it here in words better that Shane did above.