Secondly, I know that this is a running blog but there is more to life than running and I was a writer long before I was a runner, so from time to time I will divulge.
I don't think I need to go into detail on what our area has been through since the skies grew dark on April 27th, but for those of you who don't know... EF4-EF5 tornadoes with winds in excess of 200 miles an hour ripped across the northern portion of the state. CNN and the National Weather Service report about 148 twisters left a swath of destruction across 13 states, killing more than 335 people in six states, including 250 people in Alabama alone. Thousands of people left homeless, tens of thousands of people injured, and hundreds of thousands of people impacted. TVA transmission towers torn out of the ground which created a power outage that lasted 4 days for some and longer for others. Easily the worst damage that I have ever seen and will probably be one of the worst on record. Friends who lost loved ones and memories that will not fade anytime soon.
Needless to say, it was bad.
Amidst these tumultuous times, I learned many lessons. Here are a few of them, but certainly not all.
1) You need far less than what you have. I learned this lesson last summer after packing up the truck and beagles and spending the summer in Michigan with my parents, but it was reinforced this week. When all of the basic services of life are taken away, you realize that you don't need much of anything to be happy.
2) Living by candle light with no power makes you realize how dependent most of us are on electricity. It was one of the reasons I became an electrical engineer with a fascination for electricity. Discovering that I had a gas hot water heater was a blessing in disguise as it made the situation much better.
3) Technology has changed how we get news. When cell phone coverage was available, we got the most accurate information about where to get gas, ice, etc from Twitter and Facebook feeds for local news sources than from radio. The radio was nice but it has a limited bandwidth of reports whereas we could scan Twitter and Facebook quickly to get everything that we needed to know to help make critical decisions.
4) In trying times, Southern people are good people. For the most part, people were patient in gas lines (often as long as 200 cars long), at grocery stores, at stop lights that were turned into make-shift 4-way stops and even walking about the streets. Friends helping friends, neighbors helping neighbors. Sharing hot water, looking out for their homes if they left town and many other ways. I was very impressed by how people banded together and did not get frustrated with the lack of services.
5) With those friends who lost loved ones, as it always does, it made me realize how much I appreciate my friends and family. All of my friends checked in on me as I did with them and it felt better once we all knew that we were all ok and safe. Please take the time today to tell those close to you how much they mean to you. You won't regret it.
6) Television and internet make our lives more enjoyable and in some cases enable us to live more efficiently but nothing beats good old fashion conversation. Turn off the TV some nights and just talk. Read Trivial Pursuit cards to each other, talk about childhood memories or just about how you are feeling at that moment. It is very 'Little House on the Prairie' but long before we had laptops we talked more.
7) Don't take for granted all of the things that you have, but looking back above, remember you don't need all of the those things to be happy. But when in an instance all of your worldly possessions can be swept away in one fell swoop, it makes you think about protecting your most memorable possessions. Back up your photos and documents on secure locations online. Not easily, you can rebuild your home, buy a new car, etc but some items are irreplaceable.
8) It may sound silly, but why do we have so much food in our freezers that we don't eat? Yes I once spent $3 on that pound of bacon but that was probably a year ago and I wasn't about to eat it! I would like to try to shop more frequently, buying more fresh foods. Grilling out where the majority of the meal was comprised of fresh vegetables from local sources was very cool. I won't be rushing out to replenish my supply of Totino's Party Pizzas, despite their occasional yummy taste.
9) These times have made me realize that so many of the daily worries that plague me are so trivial. When stepping back and comparing my daily problems to the bigger picture, it makes me rethink stressing out so often. I have my health, my family, my beagles and a roof over my head. Yes I may forget to make my car payment or my forget to tape American Idol, but life will go on and I will have less gray hair worrying about the small things.
10) It is important to reflect after time has passed and to never forget. These are great lessons to learn, but if you quickly forget them then they were all for not. It is nice to have reminders, but try to take some of these and incorporate them into your daily life. That way these storms will help to shape and mold your life.
Take care everyone.