I DO NOT LIKE IKE

As I sit here at my desk today, it’s hard to get motivated. It’s Friday and I work from home on Fridays. A perk that makes my job much more bearable on days that make me question my career choice. My home office window looks out to my pool (which needs to be cleaned) and beyond that to my backyard (which needs to be mowed but is partially under water) and my citrus grove. (three cute little trees which need to be fertilized) What? Three trees do not make a grove? Hmm?

I’m usually a pretty cheap date, easily entertained and enjoy these simple pleasures in life. Having a window near my desk is important to me. But today the view is not so serene. Besides the reminder of chores listed that the view brings, it’s dark. It’s dreary. It’s raining. Not a lot but still raining. I was born and raised in the Midwest and as strange as it seems, this sort of day is usually a comfort to me. It’s my version of a snow day. The kind that makes you want to curl up with a great book, a cup of tea , get cozy and snuggle in. But not today. The television, radio and internet are all making it their business to inform me that there is storm out in the Atlantic and by most accounts is coming right for ME! OK, well not me personally. But that is how it feels. We’ve weathered these storms before. It’s not so bad. In fact, I have fond memories of coming out after a bad storm to meet my neighbors and making the decision to have a breakfast party, complete with eggs, bacon, toast, grits, cranberry juice and VODKA. No power, no problem. I cook with gas. Flushing a toilet, washing hands and taking a shower however, that’s a different story. We live in a rural area and our well pump is electric. But once the generator is up and going, no worries.

We are very fortunate and for that I am very grateful. We’ve never lost anything more than some roof shingles and our pool enclosure. The problem for me is not the storm itself, but the anxiety I feel before the storm about the possibilities of devastation. I feel guilty knowing that so many have lost so much during storms in the past and here I am feeling sorry for myself. I can’t help it. Logic plays no part in anxiety. The fear gets me in its clutches and won’t release me. I normally stay in denial until that is no longer a possibility. Shutters go up. Supplies must be purchased. Decisions to evacuate or stay put must be made. And the list goes on. This is the time when a margarita sounds really good but do I really want to be trashed when I might need to have my wits about me in a possible crisis. I’ll have to think about that one a bit……

I’m not alone. The anxiety affects all ages. I remember when we were preparing to evacuate for Francis a few years ago, D2 was insisting that she be able to take ALL her STUFF with her. We repeated numerous times that was NOT a possibility and so she refused to leave. Both MHS and BrainBuckets had to carry her to my car when it came time to leave. She sat beside me in the front seat with tears in her eyes, looked at me and said, “I hope you took a good look around because there’s going to be nothing left.” Once a drama queen, always a drama queen. Of course, that is not what happened and our home weathered that storm and many others since with minimal damage. But that fear still gets me every time.

I do NOT like IKE!