Hurricane Lessons
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive September 2004:
Hurricane Lessons
Got this from an email friend who lives in FL (who must have found power somewhere! LOL!)
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Truly it has been said that into each life a few feet of rain must fall. Also, some trees. And most of your neighbor's garage.
But, while the devastation of receiving three hurricanes in a row is, frankly, devastating, still I've learned a few things about myself and
this wonderful world we live in.
-- I have finally satisfied my life-long curiosity about what the roots of a 300-year-old oak look like.
-- For over a week now I haven't received any mail suggesting that my virility could use a material assist or asking me to send my bank account information to everyone in Nigeria.
-- I have discovered that for the next few weeks or so I have an excuse for everything.
"Could you sweep the driveway?" "A tree fell on it."
"Did you walk the dog?" "A tree fell on it."
"Can you swing by the DMV?" "Two trees fell on it." It's great.
-- I can eat Pringles and Beanie Weenies all day, every day, and no one says a word.
-- Yard work is only possible with heavy machinery so I don't even have to pretend to do it. For once, everyone's yard looks like mine.
-- I can wear anything at all to work, including a tutu and swim fins, just by shaking my head and muttering, "No clean clothes." Understanding
employers are willing to cut you that slack and I am willing to milk it for weeks.
-- Somewhat to my surprise I have found that, despite my long years of pacifism, I am perfectly willing to punch a total stranger in the face for a quarter tank of premium.
-- Power crews and tree services are finally getting the rock star treatment they've always deserved.
-- It's easy to win at solitaire when you can't tell the difference between the red and black cards.
-- My lifelong need for materialistic things has been reduced to what will easily fit into a grocery bag and still leave room for batteries.
-- Thanks to the prep work, the cleanup work, more prep work, and the nonstop sweating, I've lost hundreds of pounds. I can't actually see the
numbers on the scale, but still I feel good about them.
-- It dawned on me that I haven't the faintest notion what's going on with Paris Hilton, Kobe Bryant, the Olsen twins, Donald Trump, Scott
Peterson, Lindsey Lohan, or Michael Jackson. Even the air seems cleaner, the sun seems
brighter.
-- My fear of casual electrocution around the house has markedly lessened.
-- A 1992 Toyota Tercel can go through, around, or over anything. It's amazing. They should do commercials showing it crawling up mountains or
splashing through whitewater rivers.
-- In times of widespread stress women's expectations concerning possessions or hygiene lower even further, and that's all good for me.
-- My son's video game obsession has been temporarily broken, although we've been forced to keep cold compresses on him for the fever and he had to be restrained earlier this week from sneaking over to the local FEMA center to recharge his GameBoy.
-- I have now seen many of my coworkers in extremely casual wear, an event I hope never to repeat. I say that with affection, completely
secure in the knowledge that they feel the same way about me.
-- My habit of stockpiling rooms full of Cheetos has finally been validated.
-- Suddenly a simple bag of ice becomes a thoughtful and highly appreciated gift, way better than flowers or heavy, sweat-inducing
jewelry.
-- What happens in the shelter stays in the shelter.
-- Finally, I have learned that we're all human together. No matter how varied our backgrounds or beliefs, when we need to we can put aside our
differences and learn to work together. Especially if the other person has hot water.
Dawn, thanks for sharing. We ran out of ice on the third day. Early in the am my neighbor, went to the market, waited two hours and came home with twelve bags of ice. She knocked on the door with a bag of ice for us! WOOHOOO!
I hope the victims of the hurricane aren't offended that there is some humor arising out of this. Sometimes the best ways to cope are with humor! I only have one problem- Mother Nature is laughing a bit too hard! Somebody slap her!
I got this one from a friend who lives in Florida, but her house hasn't been too badly damaged.
I received damage to my house from Frances and Jeanne and now am in limbo with insurance adjusters and roofers but...it DOES feel good to laugh. I also count my blessing as so many people have it worse. Thanks for the jokes!
Yvonne
Ouch, Yjja! Hope the insurance people come through for you.
When we had 18 inches of water in our basement, it was a big mess. The same storm basically destroyed an entire neighborhood, though. Their houses had collapsed basement walls and stuff. The city ended up buying all their houses and they tore them down. There was rumors of it being a park-like space, but last I knew, it still wasn't a park. So, I really couldn't complain, either. I didn't have to move.
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