Twister Tales: From Movies to Real Life to Dreams

Image is from Canva

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Spoiler alert: if you haven’t seen Twisters and are planning to, skip to the second paragraph.

I was flying cross-country a few weeks ago and decided to watch one of the movies that the airline offered. I rarely watch movies from the U.S., but they had one I actually did want to see - Twisters. I thought the first one, Twister, from the 90s was really good, so I was interested to see what they’d do with the second one. Twisters actually surprised me; not only did the female lead design the project, but in the end, it was her who saved the day. I thought for sure the male lead would’ve jumped in the truck with her, but no, Kate was the one who made the decision to risk her life to save the lives of others. Of course there’s way more to the movie, but seeing a female lead save the day multiple times was so incredibly refreshing. 

Growing up in the Midwest, it was necessary to learn the difference between a tornado watch (conditions are right) and a warning (there’s an actual tornado). We know to seek shelter somewhere below ground, away from windows. We also know the signs to look out for: dark/greenish sky, large hail, sounds like a freight train. I still remember being under a tornado warning and hearing the sound of a freight train. That was a stressful few seconds until I realized it was an actual freight train. I chuckled from sheer relief. 

While I haven’t personally experienced a tornado, I’ve had a few close calls of them passing within a mile or so of my location in different cities and states. One such time was when I was teaching summer classes for migrant children. We were immersed in our lesson when the principal rushed in and directed us to immediately move to the kindergarten classrooms. They had us all squeeze into two bathrooms that were inside the classrooms. Apparently they were the designated safety shelters with no windows. We waited for what felt like an eternity, crammed together, straining our ears for what might come. I was trying to stay calm as the kids were looking to me for how they should react. About 20 minutes after we took shelter, we were told it was safe to come out. It turns out that the tornado had touched down about a mile or so from us - before we’d even taken shelter. 

One late spring evening, I was at a friend’s house in Puebla, Mexico. The sky had a strange color; it was warm, and then it started hailing. I panicked as my friend doesn’t have a basement. In fact, I’ve yet to see a house there that does. My friend was unfazed as she wondered how much damage the hail would do to her garden. Very flustered, I asked her what we were supposed to do. She couldn’t figure out why I was acting the way I was. I pointed to the hail and the sky and said, ”These are signs of a possible tornado!” She laughed and replied that they don’t have those. 

Even though I haven’t seen a tornado up close and personal, nor do I want to, they do frequent my dreams. When I have a tornado dream, I know that a big change is on its way. I was once dreaming of my on-again, off-again boyfriend. He was in his truck, and I was standing by the driver’s door trying to talk to him through the window. We spotted a tornado headed right at us. He got out of the truck and ran away, leaving me there. I watched as the tornado carried his truck away. That was my intuition/psyche telling me that it was time for that relationship to end. Whenever I realize that I’m in a tornado dream, my first thought is usually, Oh crap, since I know they mean a life change, usually one I’ve been resistant to.

Tornadoes can hold different meanings in our dreams. For me, they represent change, but they can also symbolize feeling out of control or the fear of losing control. In waking life, they can create chaos, destruction, and loss. One thing I learned from the movie that I didn’t realize is how dangerous it is to go under an underpass when you’re driving. The wind can be channeled even faster through an underpass, and you may be more likely to be hit with debris. It’s recommended to find a low-lying ditch and lie flat on the ground while covering your head if there isn’t some kind of shelter nearby.

I recommend watching Twisters if you haven’t seen it yet. I also recommend learning how to recognize tornado conditions and how to keep yourself safe should you ever encounter one, as they can occur all over the world. If tornadoes show up in your dreams, it would be worth researching their meaning. You can Google and see what resonates, or find someone who can analyze dreams. Regardless of how they show up, they are a force of nature that needs to be respected.