Hurricane Irene was on its way to New York and I think we were as prepared as we could be. Food was purchased, water was stored, important documents were set apart, and my mom and my abuela were here at home and ready to hunker down.
It's been a while since I've been in a Hurricane. When I was little it was all about finding a house with a cement ceiling, since I grew up in a home with a Zinc roof. (Y'all know what Zinc is, right? Picture a house with a tin roof.) Mami, my siblings and I would go to Orquidea's house in the corner, with the rest of the Zinc roof neighborhood, my dad would often (although I'm sure not all the time) would stay behind to "take care" of the house. I'm not sure what he did in there, if he ever was afraid of our huge 3 story high Almond tree falling on top of him or what. Of course I'm operating from memory which I'll admit is spotty, after all, as a child you think one thing is happening while very well may be that something else is going on. But this is what I remember.
Hurricane Irene was thankfully downgraded to a Tropical Storm while on its way to New York City. I mean, I'm sorry for Jersey, where it seems it hit hard, and even more so for North Carolina and Virginia where it created a lot more damage, even death, but I'm glad that as of right now all of mine are doing well, and hopefully they'll continue to do well.
But here's something that happened last night when I realized that though a Hurricane Pro this is the first time I was "through one" as an adult. (Or rather prepared for one.) And after the apartment was as secure as it could be and I had reached all my loved ones although I really doubted that I would need it, I decided to pack a "go bag" because I do believe in the Boy Scout's Motto (Be Prepared.) I would much rather, every time, be too prepared than not prepared enough. So aside from the government recommended items, I had to look hard at what I wanted to keep, what I wouldn't want to lose. An entire apartment reduced to a manageable bag. I ended up choosing the last picture of my nuclear family together in 1995 (one I haven't scanned and saved in a "cloud"), two pieces of paper that state that I have earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Fine Arts degree, my passport, another piece of paper that states that I am an American Citizen, a notebook with all of my poetry (yes, I know I have it backed up in about a gazillion places but I couldn't bare to leave it behind) and a notebook my Cariño gave me in February where we've both been writing.
Not much for 30 years of life, is it? Like, what's important? What's irreplaceable? I could argue that the Schools will have records that pertain to 10 years of my life, but I'd rather not leave that up to them, and really, what am I if not my accomplishments? I've been careful with backing up my poetry, but that notebook was a gift from Elba, and when I received that I felt validated as a writer for the first time. I've also scanned a lot of my old family photos, but not that one, so that picture I understood. Out of all the mementos I have littering my room, that notebook is my most prized right now - but what about the boxes full of paper that remind me that I am a loved human being, that I've had a good, fun life? But the truth is that when I looked around, I wanted to make sure that I'd have the piece that would be the background to what I expect and hope will be a very long happy life with Mi Cariño. And so, it's not much for 30 years of life, but I'm glad of it. And happy about every bit.
And happy to have been prepared for the worst, and that only the best occurred. Guess we'll have to wait around for the world to end another day.
No comments:
Post a Comment