It’s been a full 3 weeks since Hurricane Sandy blew through the Northeast and changed the lives of many, many people leaving destruction and devastation in it’s wake. For some, Sandy didn’t have much of an affect and for others, Sandy is and has been and continues to be a humbling experience, an opportunity for growth and calling upon each and very person’s inner strength.
For me, Hurricane Sandy left a lot of damage behind and affected my family and is what has occupied much of my time over the past few weeks. It has been a challenge to be there for my family and also manage my law practice.
While my personal residence was not affected and I found a way to pass the time during the storm, I soon learned from my parents that their home was badly damaged. My parent’s home is my childhood home. It is where my parents first brought me home from the hospital soon after I was born and the home where I grew up, fought and played with my sister, played for hours and hours in the basement with our Fisher Price toys and wooden blocks; it’s where I enjoyed many days outside in the yard on the playset, where I had a birthday party in the basement and we played pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, where I typed my first essay for school work on the basement computer and more recently where we had a fantastic surprise birthday party for my mom in our newly landscaped yard. Many, many memories.
Now, the yard is destroyed, the basement has now been stripped to its original foundation before the basement was built up with closets, an office and a laundry room area and a lot of “stuff” has been disposed of.
I learned that the basement flooded all the way up to the first floor and covered about 2-4 inches of water throughout the entire first floor. I’m glad I didn’t see that. But I have been to the house several times since. So, obviously my parents couldn’t go home to sleep and live there. There was no electricity (which was actually first turned on only Wednesday November 14, 17 days after the storm) and the boiler is to be replaced. While these are quite significant and we lost many things, I know that many more people have been displaced more permanently. For my parents, this is a temporary loss and I know they will be able to return home soon.
What I’ve learned from the past nearly 3 weeks is that I have built a sustainable practice that has allowed me to take time off from work and be there for my parents, that I have an incredible network that I can reach out to and on a moment’s notice get help – have a contractor appear at my family’s home the day after a phone call, to get the referral to a residential electrician who immediately scheduled an appointment to address the electric issues and that I have the adrenaline and energy beyond that which I already know I have – I have even more! I learned that people are giving and they are understanding. I have amazingly understanding clients, understanding colleagues and just offerings of help and assistance pouring in. I felt so supported while I was able to be there and support my family.
My parents stayed with my sister and her family during the first week after the storm and then stayed with me for the following 10 days until I located a short term rental for them.
While I reflect upon the past few weeks and take a breath and realize that Thanksgiving is only days away, I realize how amazing the world works – some may say it’s a higher spirit or G-d – sending us a message, a reminder about compassion and gratitude.
I have so much to be grateful for and while we all observe Thanksgiving Day in our own way, I invite you to take the time today to open a new notebook or clean sheet of paper and start to write down all of the things that you are grateful for – a gratitude list. I did this several years ago. One of my mentors had suggested that I write a list of the 100 things that I am grateful for. At the time, I didn’t believe it was possible. But it is. In fact, it took some time, but my gratitude list grew to nearly 200 things and then I stopped. I take a look at it from time to time. It has been a few years since I have really sat down to add to my gratitude list and now that this event has happened it has inspired me to.
Now, you don’t have to come up with your 100+ in one sitting, and I certainly did not. Start with 10-20 today and every day add more to your list. What are you grateful for? At the end of your day or first thing in the morning may be the easiest to reflect upon your day or the day before and write the things in your life that you are grateful for.
I can help start you off: your 5 senses, each one is something to be grateful for, for being born, for your parents for supporting you in the early part of your life, living in a country where food is abundant, your health.
I think now, you get it. Keep going with your own list, your own circumstances. What makes you, you? What experiences did you have to have so that you can be where you are today?
What are you grateful for? Share your thoughts in the comments area below.
Wishing you, your family, colleagues and friends a wonderful, warm and gratitude-filled Thanksgiving.
Again, what are you grateful for? Please share your thoughts in the comments area below.
