Last week brought up such an intense combination of emotions for me. Relief when Hurricane Ian left me and mine pretty much unscathed. Appreciation for the comforts of my home and the love of my friends. Sorrow for all those who were severely impacted by the storm.
Preparation
The week started with Ian’s “cone of uncertainty” having my town of Tarpon Springs right on the center line and showing it as a likely Category 4 hurricane. And a mandatory evacuation order which included my zone – the first time I’ve been here when that happened. I spent Monday moving as much as I could from outside to inside, making the list of what needed to be packed, and accepting a generous offer for me and my cat to hunker down at a very good friend’s house. Tuesday, I packed everything up.
Interestingly, the largest amount of stuff belonged to my cat. Then the blowup mattress and linens for me. Then some financial records and business-related items. There was a bag of food I thought we’d all enjoy and one backpack with my laptop, my iPad, and what I thought I’d need personally. My stuff took the least amount of space – mainly because I couldn’t take everything, so I focused on the minimal amount that was reasonable.
Appreciation
As I prepared, I noticed how much I appreciated my home. When I woke up on the morning that I thought I would evacuate, I stayed in bed a little longer just enjoying how comfortable it was. As I gathered items from each part of the house, I noticed how much I really love my house and how I’ve furnished and decorated it with things that I enjoy. I took a good look at the recently finished areas from my recent year-long repair experience and admired how fresh and new it all looked.
I also was so touched by all the texts and emails I got from friends sending love and concern my way. The fact that so many people were keeping me in their thoughts was very comforting.
Relief
After all the preparation, with everything ready to go, Ian changed course. First a little, then more distinctly. As I kept track of it, we moved entirely out of the cone. It looked like the impact on my house would be similar to a tropical storm, so I decided to stay home. There was a lot of wind and less rain than I expected. For about 24 hours Ringo the cat and I looked at each other every time something blew onto the roof, but I also could tell these were small branches – nothing serious. When I was able to take a look outside, there was only minor tree debris to be dealt with. Even more of a surprise – I didn’t lose power.
If you’ve ever had a period of intense focus when you’re making fear-based choices, and then everything is okay, you know what that feeling of relief is like. It’s intense. It’s visceral. And it’s also mixed with a little bit of numbness where it’s hard to focus or summon up the energy to do anything for a while. I needed a day or so to unpack fully. Another day to get everything moved back to the porch. Another day to clean up the yard. I didn’t try to get it all done at once – I needed to give myself a little grace.
Sorrow
And all the time I was feeling that relief, I was also acutely aware that while I was outside the cone, that meant others were now in the cone. And they hadn’t expected to be, so they hadn’t had the opportunity to prepare, to pack, to make a decision about what to do. The devastation to those areas south of me was intense. It’s impossible to celebrate one’s own good fortune when it comes at the expense of others.
Appreciation again
And yet, while there are no celebrations in my mind, I come back to appreciation. Every morning since, I’ve taken that extra few minutes to appreciate my bed and I’ve looked around at my house – still intact and complete. I am seeing my home with a new perspective that I hope will last. It’s so easy to take your environment for granted until it is at risk.
Belief Relief
In my experience, the more you notice that you appreciate, the more you enjoy your life. Conversely, the more you focus on the scary things, the more stress you feel. The higher or the more extended the level of stress, the more it impacts your emotional and physical well-being. Luckily, extreme events like hurricanes aren’t part of our daily routines. But how we perceive our lives is our reality. And those perceptions are shaped by our subconscious beliefs. And those are part of our daily lives.
Clients book sessions with me when a situation gets so difficult that they decide that something needs to change. It may be one session, it may be a package. But it’s usually because of something specific that they want to be different. I have a new option for people: Belief Relief. This is a monthly membership program that lets you clear your path as you go along. Here’s a link to learn more. Each month clients bring whatever has come up for them since the last session, and we transform those beliefs so that they create a more supportive life perception. I get to do this with myself on a regular basis. Now you can too. What a relief!
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