Saturday, November 3, 2012

Rocksalot Cottage: Turn Back Time?

The meteorological event has passed, but the storm certainly isn't over, not by a longshot.  The preparations leading up to and during the event were well worth it, but the after-storm fatigue caught up to me. 

Mom and Dickens are fine.  That's all that matters.  They are with me in this little space.  I am beyond grateful.  Over-the-moon grateful.

The source of my sleeplessness came from two darn trees that aren't mine that I've written about in an earlier post.  I've asked my neighbor to please cut them down.  The trees are dead.  The day of the storm the "popping" of the breaking branches set my nerves on edge.  My thoughts ran to "if these trees go, they'll take out the kitchen."  I should have grabbed some sleep, but those trees kept me awake, wide awake (that and an insane amount of coffee)

As I looked at the devastation along the New Jersey coast, the inland flooding, and the shots of the partially illuminated New York City skyline my heart broke for those who suffered losses of the humankind as well as coverage of my own state's coastline.  To have life up-ended in one night...to live through that horror of howling winds, drenching rain, firestorms taking homes and a sea driven into one's own living room mercilessly... unspeakable. 

Obviously, a storm of this power and magnitude changes things.  The coastline has changed.  The vegetation drowned.  Trees that won't see next spring.  But it's the residents whose memories of Hurricane Sandy are altered...different...changed.  That night forever burned in their consciousness as they truly live day to day in places not their homes.  Those survivors of Hurricane Sandy are changed.  They are not the people they were last week, yesterday, or an hour ago.  Their time means finding a way to live.  Finding a home to call their own.  Waiting for gasoline.  Waiting for food.  Waiting for the power to be restored.  Fighting insurance companies.  Time mired knee-deep in forms.  Watching the clock tick as they await an answer.  Their time no longer their own.

We can help them by being there for them in the form our time, talent and treasure.  How?  It's easy.  Stop what you're doing right now.  Go online to www.redcross.org and make a donation.  Go through your closets and donate "I never liked this anyway" clothing to the Salvation Army.  Or, sign up for Red Cross classes and volunteer to help with the clean-up.  It's a good use of time to make survivors time better.  Truly, this works!  And, volunteering has a boomerang effect, what you put out there comes back to you.

This morning the Internet offered reminders of the upcoming time change, such as " Don't forget to turn your clocks back!"  I wish it were that simple.  I wish making this all go away could be rectified by turning our clocks back one week.  I'll bet those hardest hit wish the same.

Until next time...

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