Daily Imperfection: Hurricane Sandy

Usually when I think of topics for my "daily imperfections" posts, I think of little small annoyances in my day like traffic, getting food on a piece of clothing, forgetting to thaw the meat I'm using for dinner - small fries. Today's daily imperfection is a whopper of an "imperfection" if I say so myself. I sit here in the dim light of my thankfully still-lit living room welcoming the forceful wind and battering rain against my windows from Hurricane Sandy. Yes, today has been quite an interesting day. Nothing quite like a hurricane to throw off all your plans! [For informational purposes, I am located in Massachusetts.]

The Beginning

It all started last night when my husband realized his workplace was closed. This was really unusual, and made me take this all a lot more seriously. Friends of mine were posting on Facebook that their school or workplace had been closed, but I didn't think much of it until my husband's workplace was closed - a very rare occurrence for his workplace. We found this out at about 11 pm and immediately proceeded to make preparations in case we had to leave soon. We filled a bunch of containers with water in case we lose power. We brought in a cooler from our car and started making extra ice, also in case we lose power (for food). I went to bed past midnight last night and could barely fall asleep realizing that this storm was coming.

This morning, we woke up early and went right to the store. Normally, my shopping day is tomorrow, so we were pretty low on food in general. At 7 am, the grocery store that is otherwise usually packed was rather quiet. I was surprised and thought for sure it would be a mad house. We got a lot of canned and nonperishable food, and also got some gas for the car. However, two hours later when we went out to get more dog food, the store looked packed. I realized Beans was running quite low on food, so we decided to go back out to get some more. I was so surprised that Petsmart was open when many other store were closed.

Right now, there are high winds outside and rain. I live on the top floor of an apartment complex, so I'm not worried about flooding of my home. No one in Massachusetts has been ordered to evacuate except those in the Cape or near the beach. We're most worried about the power going out for an extended period of time. And if it does, we've got candles, food, and water.

An Imperfect Day

So, onto the (many) imperfections... The biggest thing that threw me off is that today was supposed to be my first day of work at a new job. That was cancelled, which yes, I am bummed about because I am excited to start my new job, but I am also not complaining. Among other things, I've had such weird thoughts running through my head today. When I took I shower, I couldn't help but think what if the power goes out right now? Because I realize the power could go out (and I've literally been expecting it to go out at any minute all day), I have the mindset of "what if?" What if I can't heat up our leftovers later? What if I don't have water to wash the dishes? What if we run out of food? What if the bottom level of this building floods? There are so many "what if's" to consider and they've all been racing through my head all day. I'm not necessarily worried by any of this, like I am fearful of it happening. But I think I am just becoming mentally aware of the grandeur that the situation could hold.  It's amazing what we take for granted: running water always available, electricity for the computer and other electronics, food, shelter, and safety. I never really think about these things, but a situation like Hurricane Sandy has prompted me to realize that all of those things we think are "givens" can actually be gone soon.

Sandy has basically thrown off my whole schedule and the schedule of those along the East Coast. Today is normally my cleaning day, but I didn't clean because it just didn't seem logical. Tomorrow is normally my shopping day, but I went shopping today and got very different items than I would normally get so that they would keep. I also am planning on making dinner for some friends tomorrow, but I didn't buy the food I was planning to prepare in case power was lost. And just a few days ago, I was thinking Monday would be one of my run days this week. Yeah, right! All my plans have been renegotiated in the wake of Sandy. I really can't stand changes to my schedule in normal days, but I've had so much peace about my schedule (or lack of) today because there is absolutely nothing I can do about it.

A Blessing

But, changes to the schedule aren't always that bad. I've had time to give myself a fancy manicure, do some reading and watch a movie. In my Bible study today, I was prompted to read Psalm 136, which repeats the phrase "His love endures forever." I'm glad I was reminded of this today. I've been resting in peace with the knowledge that God's love never fails, even when we can't "see" it at all times. I was also prompted to read Zechariah 9:14-15, which says, "He will march in the storms of the south, and the Lord Almighty will shield them." I'm always amazed at the relevance of my related readings for my daily devotionals. God always puts a perfect scripture in my life when I need it most. I truly believe that God will shield those affected by the storm. Today has not been a "perfect" day as I would have envisioned. Rather, it has been a day of reflecting on the life I do have and what could become of it all because of this storm. Praying for the whole East Coast now! Stay safe!