Tropical storm Isaias slammed the east coast today, from the Carolinas north, even ripping through our little slice of Bucks County heaven. Winds tore branches from the trees, knocked over fence posts, and rain battered us for hours. Well, for like three hours. A far cry from the original 12+ hours they called for less than 24 hours earlier.
I’m not complaining by any means. Less destruction is good. There was still a tornado that touched down in Doylestown, maybe a half hour away, and it demolished a daycare and popped the lid right off a chunk of the hospital. Because tornadoes in southeastern Pennsylvania are normal, right? We get those, don’t we? There was flooding through a lot of the area, but not here.
But I’m safe. My family’s safe. Our power has been out for almost 24 hours with no end in sight, but we are okay. Current estimate is that power will return Friday around 11pm.
I’d love to say that shit doesn’t phase me, but it does. I hate having wrenches thrown into my plans. I hate needing major adjustments to the most simple tasks. I don’t like seeing my wife and kids in discomfort. But this is the situation, and we’ll make do. We saved the fridge and freezer, and that’s huge.
The real message behind it all is that I’ll get by. Stress is hard, losing conveniences is hard, but I’ll be fine. Even if I lost the full contents of my fridge and freezer, I’ll be fine. Life doesn’t give you anything you can’t handle, unless it kills you. If it doesn’t kill you, you can handle it. And this? This is minor inconvenience.
Yesterday our power went out, and we were bummed. Some places don’t have power. Some places have power, but deal with rolling blackouts constantly. Yesterday, Beirut blew up. I don’t have it so bad, even during inconvenience.
Of course this isn’t an argument for complacency. We should always be trying to improve ourselves, improve our situation, and improve our country. This is simply an acknowledgement that when something inconvenient happens, it’s not the end of the world. It’s not a nightmare. It’s just an inconvenience. Even if it costs a ton of money to remedy, it’s just an inconvenience.
I’m going to make the adjustments I need to make to get as much done as possible. I’m going to adjust my sleep, my home work habits, my work schedule if necessary. Life is rarely linear, and if you don’t follow the curves in the path, you’re just bushwhacking.
This is my suggestion for everyone: shake off inconveniences. Roll with the punches. You’re not in control, and the sooner you come to terms with that, the sooner you can take control of your own mind and intentions. that’s the only thing you CAN control.
So suck it up, buttercup. None of this is about you. It’s not about any of us. It’s just life unfolding. There’s a path of least resistance, and you can affect outcomes along the way, or you can venture into the jungle, hoping you can reach your destination while fighting nature.