First, I have to say I am sick of talking about Hurricane Ian. It came, it conquered, it moved on.
For a lot of Floridians, their lives forever after will be defined by this catastrophic weather event. I understand. We dealt with something similar in 2003 when we went through a tornado in Missouri that completely destroyed all our earthly possessions. We discovered, as many are now, that it’s all just stuff. The loss of life is a completely different story and my heart cries for those who lost loved ones in this storm.
During the storm, with the wind raging at speeds up to 150 mph outside our concrete walls and glass patio doors Randy and I both wondered a little if we were going to die that day. Yes, we were both nervous, but I didn’t experience what I’d identify as fear. The truth is, I know that none of us get out of here alive. And that just doesn’t scare me. Water dripping on my head as I sat in the master bedroom closet annoyed me, and I didn’t want to have to deal with the aftermath of the storm, but by then you’re in it no matter what, so there’s just….acceptance. Emotion at that point is useless. You simply start the recovery process in your head so you know what to do when it’s safe to get out and start doing it.
Tomorrow (October 12, 2022) is the 2 week anniversary of the storm and there are times when life seems almost normal again. It’s hard to imagine, but we were at ground zero for Ian’s landfall and we had water about 2.5 days after the storm, power on the 5th day after the storm, and got internet back on the 10th day after the storm. Cell coverage greatly improved on the 9th day following the storm. We were able to make a chiropractor appointment in Fort Meyers for Randy on the 9th day after the storm and we ate at our favorite restaurant, Buffet City, on the 8th day. Yes, there’s still a lot of clean-up and repair and replacement to do, but it’s been a good start.
Armies of mutual aid power crews from all over the country have been working determinedly to restore life affirming power. There are only isolated areas still without power in our area. The outpouring of help has been humbling to see, neighbors helping neighbors, residents feeding work crews, people opening their homes and hearts to strangers, all of these things are heartening.
The day after the storm I put a sign in our yard that said “Look for the Blessings.” Because the blessings are there if you have eyes to see. And it’s far better for healing when you focus on the good that comes out of tragedy than if you dwell on the bad stuff that happened.
P.S. For those of you who asked, we have wind-blown water damage in the ceilings but we think we’ve stopped mold growth. The pool cage is gone, the fence is destroyed, there’s some roof damage (our roof was replaced 15 months ago when we bought the house), and a lot of soffit & gutter damage. Most of our trees are gone. But the house and windows all held together and the home is perfectly livable. We are blessed.
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