Sometimes it’s the big things that help us appreciate the little things. How often do we stop to acknowledge the things that we often take for granted like phone service, heat, gas, or hot water? We just expect things to work, to be there when we need them, and to go on with life as we know it.
Many of us, including me have experienced some crazy things in the past few days due to superstorm Sandy, not just loss of services, but also fear, panic, and disorientation. In our town and many others, there are still people without electricity or phone service. You may be one of them. Gas and food are becoming scarce. I'm grateful that our electricity, heat, phone and Internet have all been restored as of today. They came back in varying intervals. I’m starting to see some very positive reports. I hope that all of your services are back soon too.
In the midst of this “storm,” I reminded myself of many things that I was thankful for. It helped me to keep a grateful perspective even in the face of uncertainty, fear, and potential danger. In the last few days, these were some of the things that kept me going. I was grateful for…
The safety of our family and friends
Our house being spared from falling trees
The stillness caused by the blackout
Reading more than usual
The extra time with family
Imposed digital break
Cozy blankets
The lights and heat returning after 24 hours of darkness and cold
All the days when we had electricity and warmth
A hot shower
A hot cup of coffee
A hot cup of soup
Flexible, understanding clients
Other people’s resourcefulness
My own resourcefulness
Other people’s strength
My own strength
The brightly colored fall leaves
Living close enough to my Mom to bring her to our house for safety
Finding one working cell phone area in our town
Friends and family that checked in on us
Friends and family we checked in on
Having food to eat
A fuller house than usual
Making “French” chocolate in honor of my aunt’s visit
Phone service returning after four days of being out
All the days we had perfectly good phone service
Answering a ringing phone
Picking up the phone to make a phone call
Internet and email restored after five days of being disconnected
Many days we had of fully operational Internet and email
The messages of hope and good wishes on Twitter, Facebook, and email
Acknowledging that I can’t control everything
It’s going to take me time to get back to normal. There are hundreds of emails, tweets, and other messages to respond to. There are calls to return and projects to complete. I’m still catching my breath. I am so grateful to be sitting here today with my hot cup of jasmine green tea, writing, and sharing this post with you. While the storm put me a bit off schedule, we’re here now. Together.
I’ve missed you. I’d love to hear how you’re doing. What’s on your mind? Please take a moment or two to share. At this moment, what are you grateful for?