After over 36 hours locked up alone in my basement level apartment with my flashlight and radio on the ready, I finally emerged this morning to see what was doing outside. I was amazed and astounded to see sunny, blue skies. Granted, there are a lot of large puddles, still some fairly gusty winds and various levels of evidence to remind me that in fact a storm blew through here. Aside from that there was a stillness and serenity in the air. For some time this morning I've thought about just what it means to weather the storm and what one can learn and take from experiencing a hurricane--whether in the literal or figurative sense.
- Always be prepared!
- No, I'm not going to build a bomb shelter or purchase a variety of freeze dried food-like substances in powder form. But my general rule of thumb is to prepare for the worst and expect the best.
- Never put off until tomorrow what you really could do today:
- Alright, so this is really embarrassing, but at 2:25PM EST yesterday, I ran out of toilet paper. Yup, completely out. Thank G-d, I had a lot of tissues at home and my apartment's plumbing system appears thus far to be quite hardy, but this got me to thinking--how often do I put off seemingly simple tasks with the expectation and belief that I will be able to take care of them later? Whether it's as mundane as picking up more toilet paper before you run completely out or as important as telling the people who matter just how much they mean to you, don't wait. Do it now. You really just don't know when that next chance will fall. On that note...
- Who are the people who matter?
- When a hurricane comes, an amazing phenomenon occurs. People talk to each other. Alright, so I live alone and know a lot of others in the same situation; I'm not embarrassed to admit here that after several hours of complete alone time, I also talked to myself. Maybe in foreign accents. Maybe even while singing... Anyway, moving right along...
- People who don't normally take the time to chat, to say "hey, I'm thinking about you, how's it going?" --actually did. When the world outside our boarded-up windows comes to a complete halt, we draw inward and reach out. When we don't know if and for how long we'll have electricity and phone access, we keep our conversations brief and to the point. There is no more beating around the proverbial bush. There is less idle chatter and more honesty, vulnerability, and meaning. We are less inhibited. We are unafraid to say "I'm scared," or "I'm lonely," or "I ran out of toilet paper 7 hours ago, what do I do?" We are far more eager to remember that "I love you, stay safe," at the end of the call.
- Getting to know me, getting to like me...
- Don't get me wrong, I do love my me time. I am by nature an introverted socialite--I enjoy socializing, I'm not particularly shy, but I relish my time to sit and reflect.
- That said, I peak at about six hours of alone time and then the cabin fever starts to set in.
- I really learned a lot. How much time do we really spend getting to know this person we call me? What are my likes? My loves? My fears? My limits?
- I recalled some of my strengths: I'm funny, darn near hilarious. I make myself laugh--crack up even. I'm creative. I'm bright and thoughtful. I am, in fact, a pillar of strength--even when I break down and briefly become a tearful pillar of salt.
- I also recalled some of my weaknesses: I'm impatient. I'm sometimes not so kind, especially toward myself.
- We see only a small part of the whole
- Hurricane Sandy brought the entire northeastern coast to a screeching halt. New York City shut down. New Jersey streets and sidewalks were desolate. Boston may as well have been a ghost town. For those fortunate enough to have power, the internet, television and phones were our only means to the outside world. For the rest, there was only the occasional glimpse outside a window.
- This brought me to think, even when the world is in full swing and spinning right along, how much of the big picture do we actually see? How often are our blinders up? How often do we intentionally look the other way? How often do we allow ourselves to slow down and take in the scenery?
- Hurricanes Happen; Weather Comes and Weather Goes
- So much of our physical world is impermanent. We have such intense attachments to things which are only temporary. We have such a hard time letting go and yet, so much of our pain in doing so is entirely self-inflicted. We cling, we cradle, we coddle and clench. We could eliminate so much of our struggle by surrendering to our own lack of control. Leave it to a massive storm to remind us just how powerless we are and how omnipotent G-d is.
- We are not entirely powerless, though! When I am right with G-d, when I am right with those around me and when I am right with and within myself, I can out-storm any weather. Sometimes I can solve the problem. Sometimes I just have to sit with it, still within myself, and wait. And wait. And wait some more.
- And trust. Trust that the storm will pass. That I won't be overcome. That in this beautiful and complex world, there are hurricanes, there are winds of full force, there are sheets of rain that threaten the very ground upon which we stand. And, seemingly just around the corner, there are blue skies, fluffy white clouds, and a calm and serenity that can only be fully appreciated once you've weathered the storm.
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