Bad week for Houston and its communities with the arrival
of Ike. Big devastation. In my neck of the woods our towering,
shallow rooted pine trees created a booby trap for even the sturdiest homes. While many of my neighbors sustained
crashed roofs with major flooding, by the grace of God we remained clear. My thoughts and prayers continue for my
friends, neighbors and patients who will spend the coming months cleaning up.
Is there anything positive about being in the eye of a hurricane? Here are a few:
A clean refrigerator. Our fridge contents were wiped out. But not such a bad thing, in my opinion. I finally saw the end to that foul raspberry vinegarette that my wife refused to throw out.
A little time to disconnect. The absence of TV, internet, and cell phone, while frustrating, was just the thing to clear my head. And for better or worse, we were the last to know the market was in the weeds.
Newfound time to meet my neighbors. It was like the 19th century all over again. The only way to find out who had ice was word of mouth, ie, cavorting with neighbors in the street.
Playing Candy Land with my daughter by candlelight. My favorite derivative of disconnection was connecting with my kids.
Caffeine detox. Ike provided that caffeine detox that I had been planning for some time. While there was some soda available, I allowed the detox process to follow its natural course. Despite a throbbing headache during cleanup, I’m better for it.
Respect for electricity, water, available gasoline and an intact roof. You never know what you have until it’s gone.
While I wouldn’t invite the experience again, there’s an
upside to everything.
Top image from my personal Ike collection. Image to the left from the Houston Chronicle.