Sanctuary Lessons from a Hurricane
18 days ago, Hurricane Ian visited our fair community and left an indelible impression. I don’t think that any of us who weathered the storm will ever forget the experience. After it hit, I wrote about finding sanctuary in a storm. This week I wanted to share a few truths that I learned and a tiny touch of humor. It feels good to smile and laugh a bit — there has been precious little of that happening around here lately.
Complicated cocktail recipes that I enjoy on a normal day don’t even sound good during a hurricane. My mixologist husband makes amazing drinks but when it’s stressful, simple is all I want. Whiskey and an ice cube (if you can find one that hasn’t melted with the power out) in a glass is perfect. (Pro tip: buy a LOT of ice right before the storm and invest in a Yeti cooler if you can).
It’s possible to make coffee on the grill. You may be scratching your head, but I promise you it’s true. Until we worked out a good filtering system I will admit the first couple of cups could have been eaten with a fork, but hot coffee during a natural disaster is a treasure and a touch of sanctuary.
When you are deeply scared and worried, sometimes the best way to pass the time is sleeping. I never even nap, but when I woke up on September 28th to a raging Mother Nature, I went right back to the sanctuary of my bed and slept for another 3 hours. Unprecedented in my world.
In deepest adversity is when we see humanity shine. It happened during COVID and I have seen it all around me again during and after the storm. Neighbors checking on each other, offering a helping hand, strangers hugging each other for comfort. Just when the divisiveness in the world has me losing all hope, something like this happens and I realize that people truly are good at their core. (Well, most people — I am leaving the looters and the fake contractors out of my good regard).
Food in your fridge and freezer stays cool and lasts much longer than you would imagine after a power outage. Yes, we had to throw away a lot of stuff, but honestly my fridge was terrifyingly full when the storm hit and now it’s clean as a whistle. The added bonus is that I can see everything in it for the first time this year.
An offer of a hot meal is the most welcome, comforting, loving gesture in the entire world. No wonder my mom always delivered casseroles for every occasion from a hospital stay to a new baby to a family member passing. We will add natural disasters to that list because when someone offered one to me, I cried. So yes, you can bet that we made meals and handed them out with as much love as we could muster.
We are infinitely more resilient than we know. No matter how bad it gets, that indomitable human spirit in us rises and we figure it out. We clean up the mess. We rebuild, smarter than we were before. In our family, we have an acronym: FITFO (figure it the f… out - yes, that).
In our digital, virtual world, we have paralyzed ourselves when we don’t have access to power and the internet. We couldn’t even get news to download and so I was calling out of state relatives to figure out if we had a boil water notice in Naples. They were watching the news for me when I couldn’t. On my holiday wish list is a crank radio and a solar powered charging block.
Stress, worry and hardship = weight gain. Those COVID pounds I lost this summer crept right back on. My willpower went right out the window. Hot dog? Sure! Salad? Ummm what is that.
Philip, who is just so wise at times, said something to me that was worth writing down and sharing. He said, “Lise, there is really only good. The good that we can see and the good that is yet to be seen.”
We were fortunate. Hurricane Ian visited us with only inconvenience and some flooded out inventory. Others have lost their homes, and many have lost their lives. And so while I’m taking a moment to chuckle at some of the odder moments from the past few weeks, I have seen such grit and such grace from so many who have come through really harrowing situations in this storm.
If you are moved to do so, I encourage you to make a donation to the Collier Community Foundation or to the American Red Cross.
To the members of my beloved community who have suffered losses, my heart is with you. And my hands are ready to help you — you have but to reach out and ask. I’ll show up with a hot meal, sanctuary and a smile. ❤️
With love and gratitude,
Lisa