Bringing Out Our Best in the Face of Hurricane Florence
There is a hurricane coming, and the fireball on the TV screen that represents Hurricane Florence appears to be coming right for the town I live in.
Or, it might totally miss us.
It depends what time of day I look at the Weather Channel.
It might head straight for us. It might go north of us. It might go south of us. It might hug the coast.
“This storm will cause destruction like we have never seen,” is the message I’ve heard all week long from the local and national media.
Our town, that may or may not get hit by the storm, has begun to close down. Businesses are closing. Schools have closed. We will all sit by the TV, watching the Weather Channel, glancing from the TV screen to the window for a view of the sky.
And, we will all wait.
I’ve been through a hurricane that was a category 4 before, and it was terrifying. I was living 3 hours inland from the coast, so my area was only supposed to get tropical storm-like symptoms from Hurricane Hugo. Hugo didn’t slow down like it was supposed to. Instead, it kept its strength and came barreling through leaving a path of destruction.
What storms are supposed to do and what they end up doing differ greatly.
Even the best weather forecasters in the world get it wrong now and then, so I wonder, will they get it right with this hurricane? Will it go south? Will it go north? We truly don’t know, and we truly have no control over where and what the hurricane decides to go and do.
What I’ve learned from the past is this, while a hurricane can bring out the worst in some people, for most people it brings out their best.
Yes, a few days ago there was a fist fight that broke out in the parking lot of Harris Teeter – two grown men fighting over bottled water.
Yes, there was a man who nearly ran over a runner in his rush to pick up his kid at the neighborhood middle school, and yes, this man got out of his car and kicked the car of the person behind him who took a picture of his license plate and called the cops.
Yes, there is no more bread on the shelves at the grocery store, even though many in our town claim gluten intolerance.
Yes, people I know are short tempered.
Maybe it’s because they have been staring at their hurricane preparedness snack supply for too long wondering when…when can I begin to eat that box of Oreos? Maybe it’s because their weekend at the beach had to be postponed? Maybe it’s the barometric pressure messing with their sinuses? I know it’s giving me a headache! (Yes, peppermint and lemon oils are currently in my essential oil diffuser)
But, when the hurricane hits, and it will hit soon, all that will fade away.
We will all collectively come together and help one another.
I’ve seen it many times, and it’s beautiful.
Fallen trees will be removed, homes will be repaired, food will be shared, people will laugh and possibly cry – together.
For the majority of us, this hurricane will bring out the best in us.
As we sit and wait and watch, knowing that we have no control over the direction or intensity of the storm, we deeply affirm the knowledge that while we can’t control the storm, we can control ourselves.
Here’s to the best in all of us!
Bring on the storm!
I am opening the box of Oreos, and I am ready!
