Listen to this episode Here! ????
????????????
As you may or may not know, I live in Florida and hurricanes are a part of living here. 😉 Over the past few weeks, we’ve experienced two hurricanes that have directly impacted my area and I wrote a little story about it that encapsulates some lessons that I hope you enjoy.
I want to thank you SO MUCH for all of you who reached out to me and my family in the past few weeks. We are so loved and blessed!
????????????
“Why do you even live in Florida?” My niece asked with innocent concern when I announced to my family that yet another hurricane was headed our way.
It’s a fair question.
But one, I have to admit, that I’ve never pondered since I fell in love with this state decades ago.
And since my trek out here from Arizona in 2002, I’ve experienced my fair share of hurricanes, including Charley, Ivan and Irma…each could have validated that question.
A few weeks ago, Hurricane Helene flooded much of the neighborhood we recently moved from, her record storm surge creeping inland much further than those waters have in a century. My kids still go to school here, so we teared up on the first day back when the streets were piled high with debris and house after house had water lines 4 feet high still marked on them. More than a handful of friends completely lost their homes.
And then…Hurricane Milton announced his visit to Tampa.
ARE WE OK?
Let me start off by saying this: My family and I are fine. Our animals are fine. Our home is fine. We are super grateful that overall, we came out relatively unscathed from Hurricane Milton. I know there are many others who cannot say the same, and my heart and prayers are with them as my efforts to support my community continue.
I wanted to share my experience with you because as I was living it, I saw so many life lessons in what was in front of me. And I thought if I retold it to you here, you might take something from it that could be useful to you. So…here we go. ????
There Are 3 Phases to a Hurricane Experience
PHASE 1: The Prep
Once I knew a hurricane was bound for our town, the preparations began. A few very important things happened in this phase:
I reorganized priorities and tasks. My mind had to shift from “normal daily living” to “hurricane preparation.” All of a sudden, the things that are usually the priority on a regular day had to get knocked down on the totem pole. Within a day, I was able to complete a few vital business tasks (including a Hurricane Stress Meditation I created last minute because I needed a way to calm down), put on my out of office email responder letting everyone know I was offline, and pretty much closed down my work. We then focused on what needed to be done around the home. We knew friends were on their way up to stay with us, so we got busy prepping food, water and clearing the land of anything that could possibly become a projectile object with 100+mph winds. Cue the fire…
My main job during the Prep phase was burning all the leftover debris around our property that Helene had scattered around. Burn, baby, burn!
I got physical. The physical labor it takes for all 3 phases of a hurricane are extraordinary. As I write this, we’re a week post-hurricane and my feet and back are still throbbing in pain. In the preparation phase specifically, getting my body moving helped me keep my mind focused on one task at a time. It gave me the immediate psychological benefits of seeing the results of the work I was doing. Movement reminded me of what I had control over, and what I didn’t. It forced me into the present moment.
I managed my mindset. The few days before a hurricane hits are extremely taxing on the mind. Soooo much fear arises and has a field day with your thoughts. I knew I had to be extra mindful of what was going on in my head. So, I deliberately did not watch the news in excess (I usually stay far away from the news in general, but obviously, I had to check in with all the updates on what Milton was doing). I checked in once or twice a day, and then simply relied on my husband to tell me the highlights that I needed to know. Additionally, I did my best to stay as present as possible. Staying busy doing outside chores and meal prep helped a lot with this. And anytime I found my mind wandering into the worst case scenarios, I brought myself back home and asked these questions: what do I have control over right now? What can I be grateful for right now?
PHASE 2: The Hurricane Hits
I’m sure you’ve been inundated with enough videos and images of hurricanes by now to know that the actual storm passing through can be terrifying. Hurricane Milton hit just south of my home of Tampa Bay as a Category 3 Hurricane with winds of about 115 mph and dumped almost 15 inches of rain onto our property. It’s the biggest hurricane I’ve experienced.
It was Wednesday night when the storm hit. We moved the kids into the safest room in the house and eased them into a peaceful sleep as the adults stood watch like soldiers. We watched the winds tear through the trees, counting the big branches that were coming down. Our hearts dropped with sadness with each raindrop that fell from the sky, already knowing that our land would flood, and just praying it wouldn’t flood our home.
We patrolled the windows throughout the night, notifying each other when we noticed a tree down (thank god it fell away from the house!), or when we caught a glimpse of the water line rising closer and closer, or when we saw the neighbor’s fence being pulled out of its hold by intense winds while we all prayed it didn’t shoot in our direction.
The electricity flickered a dozen times, and each time, I automatically chanted the mantra it’s coming back on, it’s coming back on, singing the words as if doing so would convince our entire electrical system to bend to my will like a genie in a bottle in order to grant my wish. And every time, the genie seemed to hear me and restored everything within seconds.
We never lost power. ???? A giant freaking miracle.
Our hurricane impact windows (special windows designed to make hurricane shutters unnecessary) quietly told stories of what was happening outside, but kept the worst of it to themselves. Meanwhile, I sent waves of thanks to the previous owner who had upgraded the house with these features that made me feel like we were in a fortress.
My new nickname for our home officially changed to The Fortress. 😉
The six adults finally found their way to their beds…exhausted and anxious for what we were going to wake up to. Knowing we had done all we could. And now, it was just a matter of letting the storm pass.
PHASE 3: The Aftermath
As the first rays of light pushed through the trees, my husband and I jumped out of bed and headed outside.
Water. Was. Everywhere.
Not in our home, but damn…just about everywhere else.
We looked at each other with wide eyes, a mixture of disbelief and gratitude, and walked around to fully assess the aftermath.
An hour later, I walked into the house just as my friend walked out of her room.
“How is it?” she asked with hesitation. She and her family have been through this twice before. Their home flooded with Hurricane Irma and with Hurricane Ian. “Once in a lifetime” events that they’ve been on the receiving end of twice in the past 7 years. They live two hours south of us on a river and needed to evacuate for Milton. But, they chose to evacuate into the heart of the storm to Tampa, not because it was the safest place, but because they love us so much and knew we would all be better together. That. Is. Love.
I didn’t know the tears were coming until I hugged her and felt them flow like the river that was now outside of our home.
All of the prep. All of the winds. All of the rain. They all converged inside of me, covered in layers of heartbreak, gratitude and relief.
Through the tears, I could see the most important truth: we were ok. Our families were ok. Our land was ok. And our animals were ok. And, no matter how bad it looked, our community would be ok.
????Sidenote about the animals: We have a bit of a farm here. Some animals needed to stay outside. Most we brought inside. One outside bird was rescued quickly in the morning and once he was, all animals were safe and sound. Whew!
“Let’s focus on one space at a time,” my friend said wisely. “Make one room feel normal and just focus on that.”
And so we moved seamlessly into the actions of the aftermath. Assessing the damage, strategizing what to do, and getting to it.
Our driveway. The only way in and out. It wasn’t until day 4 post-hurricane that we discovered a blocked “drain” channel the previous owners had created so we could get the water low enough for cars to get through.
It’s important to note that every single person’s experience in each of these phases were different. For Helene and for Milton. Some people evacuated for the prep, their kids and pets sitting for hours on the parking lot highways, not knowing if there would be enough gas to get them to their chosen destination. Some people are still living in the haze of the aftermath, completely displaced or living on second floors of their flooded homes. What’s common amongst us all is that we experienced it. Together. And we’re all doing our best to take care of one another through it.
The Big Lessons Learned
Friends and family are everything. I know we all know this. But man, in times of crisis, it really becomes clear what really matters. I know I’m saying this with a dry home, electricity and working wifi, which is so much more than many others right now, but when facing the possibility of not having anything, what truly matters shines bright in your face.
Our crew of 10 gathered around for dinner every night during our week-long stay at The Fortress. I was the Master Chef and it made my heart so happy hearing all the laughter and stories at the table every night.
People are good and kind. The day after the storm, I climbed up a ladder to speak to my neighbor, who at that point, I had only met once since we moved in. “Tienes una kayak, amigo? Una barca?” I asked. (Do you have a kayak, my friend? A boat?). Minutes later, he was heaving a small jon boat over the fence, and has happily let us use it all week
And my city…oh, my city! I have never been so proud of my neighbors, my city officials and the community in general in my life! I’m a part of a private Facebook group that’s specific for moms in my old neighborhood, and it blew up with love and support! Moms offering free childcare, free supplies, free manpower to clean up after the floods and debris and so much more. It’s still happening and it’s beautiful.
My phone was bombed with text messages from my city after Helene and Milton, offering comfort stations, free food and water, shelter, and just about every resource you can imagine to help its citizens. And our Mayor was constantly on social media sharing important messages and resources so we could all know what was going on.
This message was from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and continued post-Milton.
There is beauty all around. You just have to open your eyes to it. Keep your attention on the positive. Look past the devastation and focus in on the beauty, the love, the light. I know…it can be really tough at times. Especially when all you see on the TV or social media is the dark. Especially when all that’s in front of you seems dark. But zoom in a bit…and you’ll see the helping hands, the smiling faces, the understanding hugs, the innocent laughter, and the reminders from Mother Nature of our soulful connection.
The morning after Milton was spent gathering and burning the endless twigs, branches, trees and leaves that littered our land. We gathered and burned, gathered and burned, while the sweat and dirt became one on our skin. We fell into a natural rhythm with one another, some of us working, some of us taking breaks, some of us hanging with the kids, so that the progress never stopped. The kids eventually joined in, and we’re in this together never felt so palpable.
Later that day, I sat along our “creek” (now a river) and looked upon it with appreciation and awe, amazed at the power of Mother Nature, when a small leaf bug walked along the arm of my chair. I was reminded instantly how beautiful this one moment is right now. And how simultaneously tiny I am in the big scheme of things…and how special I am. How special you are. How we really are all in this together.
Hurricanes will continue to hit Florida. And “hurricanes” will continue to come into your life too. How will you show up to all the phases? What will you open your eyes to? What will you learn?
Yesterday, my kids went back to school and everything looks somewhat “normal” again. Hurricane Milton has made his mark upon our lives. And because of him, I’ll choose to live mine a little more bravely, a little more humbly, a little more connected, and a little more me than before.
I love you,
???? Katie
