Time flies and it could've been worse

Time flies, and I'm having a hell of a time trying to swat it down, but it keeps on escaping me. I may need a bigger swatter.

My friends, thank you so much for your concern regarding my safety during the recent hurricane. I am safe and I survived. I apologize for the very late response and update.

Life has unexpectedly become more complex and busy for me. I'm trying really hard to balance work, family, friends, and demands. But it's been a challenge, and I've had to give up blogging and other recreational activities to work out solutions to the new complications life has brought. Try as I might, life has a way of interrupting my plans.

But that's life--unpredictable and chaotic at times. And as hard as it is trying to balance familial duties, social obligations, and deal with work challenges, I'm grateful to be alive, to have the opportunity to live and try to make a difference for the better--for my family, my friends, me, and the world.

The hurricane was furious but fast. Luckily, it only stayed for a day in my area before moving on. The damages weren't as devastating in my part of town. I still have a roof over my head and walls to protect and shield me from the elements. I'm on higher ground, so I didn't have to worry about flooding.

The hurricane did shut the city down for a few days, but I've been in hurricanes before, and I had enough emergency supplies to see me through it. Canned and dry goods are a necessity. Reusing cleaned gallon plastic jugs gave me safe containers to have enough clean water saved before the hurricane hit, lasting me several weeks. And I've a camping stove and a grill with bags of charcoal in case I wanted to heat up the food. Plus, I've emergency flashlights and a radio that are solar and mechanically (wind up) powered. They gave me light in the dark and kept me updated on want was going on.

The aftermath of the hurricane did leave me with a few free days off. I was hoping to blog, but we had no electricity for two weeks, and I was saving my battery for emergencies, reduced to charging my phone at work using the company generator that powered the building til the grid was back on.

As hard and stressful as it was (and still is at times), I'm very grateful to be alive, to be here. I may not be back to blogging as much as I want to--my time is being divided by family/friends, work, and other duties--but I'm still so very thankful that I'm alive, safe, and still here.

And I'm especially very thankful and grateful for your concern and care. Your support and friendship has brought a smile to my life, and your kindness has made me feel joy. So thank you very much for giving me hope and for being wonderful, caring people.

I'm hoping things wind down in the next two months so I can get back to blogging. And if you don't hear from me until then, please know that I'm still grateful for your friendship and care. I may be too busy to reply, but please know that I cherish your friendship, your kindness, and your well wishes. I thank you for being a friend. You've all brought some unexpected, much needed, and surprising joy to my life. You've made me feel happy, and thank you from the bottom of my heart. Take care and be safe until next time. Best wishes to y'all!


P.S. Today, I was standing in the checkout line behind a man and we started talking about the hurricane.

"It could've been worse," he said.

And I agreed, "I hear ya. I'm thankful I still have a roof over my head."

Then he said, "The hurricane destroyed my trailer home. I'm living in a shelter now."

I felt terrible, "I'm sorry to hear that you lost your home."

He said, "Don't worry about it. I was going to lose that trailer at the end of the month anyway. My ex-wife got it in our divorce settlement. And losing it to the hurricane was a much smaller disaster compared to our marriage."