Experiences change the way we see the world. Devastating
storms that hammered Florida for a period of several weeks in the late summer
of 2004 made me consider what is truly important in my life.
It should come as no surprise that my family mattered most.
Unequivocally, I could not have made it through the couple of months of
frequent storms without my kids. Then again, they were the only reason I wanted
to make it through those months, anyway. Funny how that works out, isn't it?
I would like the list some of the things I learned:
1. Somehow, my daughters know how to play all sorts of card
games that I have never heard of. After the past couple of months, I now know
how to play some of them as well. Despite how large a pain in the butt it may
have seemed taking them to this and that Girl Scout thing over the years, they
learned a lot of useful things from being involved with others and that
organization. Not only did they learn invaluable socialization skills, but also
they learned a few card games. Enduring the recent power outages in the wake of
violent storms would be much less bearable without those candlelight card games
whether I was good at them or not.
2. For the sake of one's nerves, if not safety, please,
always evacuate when the authorities tell you to. Despite curiosity, lunacy,
responsibility to an employer, or whatever, experiencing a category three
hurricane at landfall is something best left to those silly enough to do it in
front of a TV news camera. At least they are getting paid to be incredibly
stupid. Hopefully their producers are selective about the relative danger of
staging their stunts. I suppose it is in the public interest intended to
reinforce some kind of safety message to the viewers – storms are really
dangerous and it's a bad idea to be outside in them. However, seeing someone
whether male or female buffeted about or lifted off their feet as they attempt
a first hand experience of what it feels like plays mostly to the nut cases who
might actually attempt it for themselves. Having needed to go outside to secure
something that came loose during a Cat 3 storm, I can tell you this. Whatever
the reason, being lifted off your feet and letting the wind carry you is not
worth the brief if intense adrenaline rush.
3. Freedoms can be taken away in an instant, by fate and/or
natural circumstance. Suspended liberty can also linger as an emergency
situation for several days afterwards, in the interest of the public good. At
my age, having anyone tell me when I HAVE to do anything is at the least
irritating. I am not certain that I like the fact that the elected officials in
my county can impose an arbitrary curfew, but I do like the fact that the
police charged to enforce the times of suspended freedoms seem very interested
in relinquishing the power as soon as the emergency has passed. Maybe that is
how our country really is different from some other places in the world. The
police officers are us and the authority is used only when it is necessary for
them to protect us from ourselves. They watch out for whatever there is in
human nature that makes people act like idiots.
4. The power of nature trumps everything. No one is
impervious. I think storms are a little, not-so-friendly reminder that everyone
is equal. There is no immunity. You are not bullet-proof. A storm does not give
preference or deference to wealth, creed or ethnicity. It doesn't care whether
you eat white bread or whole wheat. It doesn't want to know whether your belly
button is an 'innie' or an 'outtie'. Your Atkin's diet doesn't matter. How
great you were playing baseball in high school is immaterial. Nature doesn't
mind removing a few shingles from your roof either, if that is what it takes to
get your attention. The wrath of the elements will humble you into admitting
that every person is a puny subject cowering in a corner, hunkering down and
hoping for the best until the unleashed fury has passed.
5. Appreciation for electricity, more than almost anything
else in life except for my kids, was underscored and highlighted. Having hot
water to take a shower because there is electricity is a marvelous thing. It's
funny though, I realize now why they call electricity 'power'. Having the
'power' is much preferable to having 'no power'. However, it is always nice when someone that has 'power'
offers to share some of it with you, especially when you don't have any. By the
way, Air-conditioning is the greatest invention ever! Trust me on that one.
6. The strangest and most personally uplifting thing I have
witnessed over the past couple of months is that emergencies, like this series
of storms that my state has suffered, brings out the best in some if not most
people. I don't know if it is an American thing or just a human thing - or even
if any of that matters. I am relatively certain that it is part of the overall
equalizing factor of an event or series of events of the magnitude of a
disaster Floridians have sustained. When we are reminded how insignificant each
of us is before the awesome display of the forces of nature, we tend to have a
sense of community and become nicer to one another. When was the last time you
volunteered to help a neighbor trim some palm fronds? - Or remove a tree that
had fallen in his or her yard? When was the last time you stopped to ask your
neighbor if he or she wanted a ride to get a few bags of ice? It has happened
here lately and almost everyday!
The disastrous, violent storms, I would not wish on anyone.
It is not that I feel blessed or even particularly singled out to have
survived. All the same, I am grateful to be alive. It is only that I noticed a
few things that reaffirmed my faith that somehow we will all get through even
the hardest of times. It is not because we can or must, but because we are all
together in this strange and sometimes twisted little world. Sometimes, it
takes a disaster to get our attention and remind us that this is our unique
sandbox. This is the only place we have to play. We need to behave ourselves
and share, regardless how immature we are. What a pity it is that it takes
disasters to bring the 'human' out of our common 'humanity'. The shame is that
most of us aren't a little more human to one another all the time. We wait
until there is a tragedy become who we really are, members of the same tribe.
E
Reflection and personal account.
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