Passion
The alarm rings with a disrupting ping that completely shatters the silence that once was when he was sleeping comfortably. No time is wasted before he is up and hurrying to the restroom where a quick five minutes leaves him ready for the day. Turning 25 last month, Alex is getting dressed for one of his all-time favorite activities that to many would deem slightly dangerous if not carefully done. The relatively new camera sits in the case on the chair where he left ready for tomorrow, along with his keys, wallet, and phone that receives the early bird text of "On my way!". While he never thought about the subject too much, Alex has always been interested in the wonders and profound greatness of weather. From fog that only allow one's hand to be seen close to their face, to the personal humbling feeling one gets when they view a tornado. From the eye-gazing scenes of overcast in the sky, to the magnificent sense of hope and livelihood one gets looking under the starry night. "We as humans tend to stare at objects or things that are greater than us, even allowing us to forget we could be in danger at times"; the sentence that Alex always thinks when weather crosses his mind. After feeding his almost two year German Shepard and making sure everything's turned off and doors are locked, Alex waits for a short time before his friend Chris picks him up.
In his high school years, Alex always had the great imagination of taking a drive away from the city in his compact crossover, with "just enough room for his drums", as he would say. He looked forward to not only taking beautiful shots, but also savoring the time that he got to enjoy something natural. Teachers, parents of friends, and mentors all reminded Alex of how he should do what he loves and love what he does in the future. This rang the ears of the humble senior, because no matter what schedule filled the week or how much down time he got, Alex would somehow always make room to go out and gaze upon the weather. He was even able to save a magnificent during the activities that he tended to, because weather is always there, and with a simply look up one can stumble upon something great. As the pastime became more involved and connections, weather gazing began to include weather chasing. The intense yet joyful act of riding through the patch of gray, with wind speeds up to 200 miles per hour, all with the comfort of knowing that the vehicle is more than capable of withstanding harsh conditions, is something that the young dreamer loved to look forward after hanging out with friends on Friday night. Seeing overcast more than 100 times, pictures of lightning, numerous night skies; to Alex, the day is brand new with the possibility of seeing anything.