Hurricane Sandy was on its way, and as usual, I was barely paying attention. Herein lies lesson number one: On one hand, one of my best qualities is that I don’t worry about things and I always expect the good; on the other, things happen, and being prepared is obviously the better option!
So when my lights went out and I lost water, I was surprised. Thankfully, I’d already borrowed a flashlight from some very prepared friends. But that was it. I hadn’t filled my bathtub, and hadn’t stocked up on the appropriate foods for loss of power. (Everything in my refrigerator spoiled and had to go.) Then, there were my cats. I’d just left them alone while traveling for two weeks, and now this? I felt terrible leaving them again, especially because they can sense when something’s wrong, so they were feeling particularly needy.
Most importantly, there were my clients. As I said, I’d been traveling for two weeks—not the norm—so it felt like a lot of time had passed since I’d seen them. They were ready for me to be back, and I was missing them and ready to know what was going on. Fortunately, I was able to see or speak with at least ten of them before half of New York City lost power, which then led to my third week in a row of cancellations.
I’m very fortunate to have many close friends and family. Therefore, I had many places to stay. But because of my need to be with my cats at night, my evenings were spent walking back to my apartment and climbing twelve flights of stairs in the dark so I could sleep at home. To be honest, though, although I felt very tired and inconvenienced, I learned many things about myself and others through this experience (as usual)!
To start, I was extremely moved by the care I felt from my clients. I’m in the profession of being the caretaker, and was so touched that so many of my clients reached out to see if I was ok—even offering up their homes for me so I could at least charge my phone. And some of them took this time of reflection to let me know what I mean to them and what a difference I’ve made in their lives. I felt lucky and had a renewed sense of appreciation for my purpose in life.
I also felt a profound appreciation for my family, and found myself in a state of contemplation and forgiveness. I was taken in by one of my cousins (who’s really more like a sister), and it made me realize that I take her for granted sometimes—as we all do with different people in our lives. I was around family members whom I’d felt resentment towards for many years, and these resentments fell away. I was connecting to the good in everyone.
I was struck by the way the community within our great city of New York came together. I can liken the feeling to September 11th; this week, I noticed that even in the non-affected areas, people were friendlier, looking to talk or to help, and bonding over the aftermath of this storm. That’s not so typical for our fair city, where people are always rushing to get somewhere.
But the most important lesson I learned was one about myself. I walk around touting that we’re all distracted way too much – and I wasn’t putting myself into that category; I’m on my phone less than anyone I know, and I stay off of it when I’m walking or driving. I meditate every day. I don’t drink much. In general, I consider myself a pretty solid person. Well, let me tell you—when you have no phone, music, or TV, and it’s dark—it’s a whole new game. I can’t turn anything on for company. It’s just me. I’m used to falling asleep to TV, and this past week, I’ve been falling asleep to silence. Instead of turning on Howard Stern as soon as I wake up, I’ve been sitting quietly as I have my breakfast and tea. So I’ve realized that I have a long way to go here, too! But as the week’s gone by, I’ve actually started to like this new routine. I’m curious to see if I’ll continue this, or go back to the way things were before—when my electronics provided a source of comfort and company.
So it’s the end of the week, and as I write this blog on a laptop that’s about to lose its battery, I’m ready for my power to go on. I’m ready to take a shower, and I’m hoping it’s the last day I have to fill my toilet with Poland Spring drinking water to flush it. But all in all, it was a great week. So I guess my positive outlook in life is still a good thing. And what I always say rings true: If we accept what’s happening in life, instead of fighting it, it all feels so much better. There are always things to learn, and ways to find joy, no matter what.
