it wasn't supposed to be this way but...: Because I knew you...Skip Waters.

it wasn't supposed to be this way but...: Because I knew you...Skip Waters.: I've heard it said That people come into our lives for a reason Bringing something we must learn And we are led To those who help us...

Because I knew you...Skip Waters.

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...
I have heard the lyrics to this song one hundred times and they mean more to me now...since the passing of Skip Waters.

Very simply put, he was a magical person.  He is THAT person that some never get the privilege of knowing.  I am so blessed that I did.

Skip was the Chief Meteorologist for 32 years at WCTI TV in Eastern North Carolina. Thirty two years at any job is a feat...but it was not the length of tenure that mattered here...it is what he DID with those 32 years.

One night, after most of the eight to fivers had left the building, Skip was at the copier.  We were chatting.  Our personal connection was swimming.  And, YMCA's.  I told Skip that if I ever won the lottery, I would build a big swimming and diving center at the high school where my kids attended and everyone, regardless of age or income, could learn to swim for free.  

Skip was in.  He would retire and be the teacher.  We laughed, who wouldn't want to take swimming lessons from a guy whose last name was WATERS?  We had a name, Waters Waves.  We loved it.


Shortly after our we developed our business, (ha ha) I asked him a question.  "Skip, on a daily basis, I get asked how you know all the streets in all the towns all over the viewing area, how do you know this stuff?  What is the secret?

He laughed and said, "there is no secret."  

"When I came to work here, my mom gave me two pieces of advice...Be the first one at work and the last to leave and act like you are busy when you are there...if you are not busy...create something to make you busy and NEVER go to work on the same streets and Never leave work on the same streets as the day before.  Even though I thought I knew it all, I was smart enough to listen to my mom.  I drove the streets and looked at them through the eyes of weather...were there hills to create flooding, big trees that could lose limbs and go through roofs, I looked at how the trees were shaped to know how the wind blew, I looked at mold on houses and where siding was torn off, I looked at side streets that couldn't handle water.  And, my dogs like to ride in the car."

I remember seeing Skip leaving the Christmas parade last year on Emerald Isle.  I knew the route for departure.  I saw Skip on the other side of the departure route, going up and down streets.  I knew what he was doing.

Thirty one years in the business and still mastering his trade.  He never stopped.

And in that single moment, I changed.  I had a chance to re invent myself in my early 50's.  A blessing.  And if he was going to continue to learn and grow and master his trade, so was I .  Skip made me step it up.

It doesn't matter what your resume says, or what your GPA was or what certifications you have, if you do not have passion, wrapped in commitment, you really just have a job, not a career.

A few years ago, I went out on a limb and asked my boss if the boy scouts could watch a news broadcast.  He kindly said yes.  The boys would come in, watch the news and leave.  Those were the arrangements.

Instead, they came in, watched the news, had the chance to ask a few questions and then Skip came around the corner, took the boys to his desk, showed them his weather computer, gave them a book, signed each book and had his picture taken with each boy and their parents.  He wasn't asked, but he did.  Above and beyond.

I have had people say to me, "I am crying, I am so sad and I felt like I knew him."

You did.  When you sat there in your t-shirt and underwear, without makeup, he was there with you.  When he did the weather, in that calming voice, he was really speaking to you and only you.  When you were making dinner and signing agendas, he was there, in your kitchen with you.   When you were in your nightgown, laying in bed, he was there.  He was speaking to you.

And when you left your house and strolled through the Seafood or the Mumfest, he was there.

Always happy, always smiling.  Always taking a chance to meet and speak to someone new.  And it was innate.  Skip knew no other way.  It didn't matter what his ratings were, he was never going to quit.  He was so passionate.  He was so committed.  Not just to his career, but he was committed to others.

In a world of electronic gadgets, skyping interviews and instagram accounts, it was the personal connection that made Skip a legend.  The smiles, the photos, the shaking of hands.  Personal connection.   Knowing the streets and the trees on the streets where people lived made a difference.  He looked you in the eye and shook your hand.  Personal connection was the key.


There are very few people who have this innate passion and commitment for what they do.  Skip "loved what he did and did what he loved."  I don't know very many people like this.  

And the most refreshing thing about Skip to me was, he knew he was privileged.  He knew he had a great career, in a fabulous part of the state with viewers that adored him and he didn't take it for granted.  Instead, he appreciated every aspect and worked harder and harder everyday, every broadcast.  He appreciated what he had created.  He was blessed and appreciative.  Humble.  He knew that he "did what he loved and loved what he did" and he cherished every moment.  

I loved that about him.

Yesterday, when I was leaving work, there were people constructing a shrine...and I heard a petite elderly lady say..."Skip made me want to learn about weather and at my age, to keep learning is a good thing."

Skip, I think it is safe to say, we knew you were magical and we knew that our lives were better because we knew you.