The Spirit of Connectedness

It has been difficult seeing all the death and destruction caused by natural disasters all over the world this year.  There is no way that I, or anyone else, can make sense of the havoc caused by Mother Nature.

One thing that has become clear for me amidst all the devastation is the connectedness of the human spirit.  I may not personally know the victims in the floods or the latest earthquake but I can feel compassion for the victims and their families.  It affects me that someone is pain due to the disaster.  It affects millions of people all over the world at the tragedies that are unfolding.  For a time, people are forgetting about themselves and thinking of the people who are affected by these natural disasters.  Their heart goes out to unknown, anonymous people who are enduring an unimaginable horror.  For a moment in time, they are connecting to the spirit of someone they do not know and feel their pain.

My interepretation of this is that it demonstrates at a very basic level that all human spirit is connected in one way or another.  We may be individuals but we are not alone.  As long as people care about people they do not even know, then there will always be hope for a better world.

Attitude

In the aftermath of Cyclone Yasi, power has been out in some suburbs for 7-8 days.  Further North, where it was worse, they have been told power could be out for over a month.

I have been reading on Facebook the comments from customers without power.  They fall into two categories.  One are saying, when are you putting my power back on, I should have it, why are you taking so long, I am suffering here.  The other customers are saying, you are working hard, we appreciate your efforts, we are doing fine and enjoying the family time without power.

Yes, it is a shock not to have power at your fingertips but it is outside your control to get it back on.  You have two choices, moan about it or make the most of it. I do understand it is not easy without power but surely when it gets back on you will appreciate it even more and maybe your life will change for the better by continuing to have more family time.

When life gives you circumstances that are out of your control, you also have two choices.  You can moan about it and make yourself and everyone around you miserable.  Or, you can see the silver lining, appreciate the opportunity to learn something new or just enjoy the new set of circumstances. 

I guess what I am saying here is, your attitude makes the difference between enjoying something or being miserable.  Isn't it much better to choose to enjoy the opportunities life presents you with?

Reflections on Yasi

Having come through Cyclone Yasi unscathed, I have turned my thoughts to understanding what I have learnt from the experience.

One thing I learnt about myself, I don't care about material things.  I left my home and did everything I could to protect what we had and not knowing what I would find when we came back.  At the height of the cyclone all I was thinking was I am so grateful that my family is together, I knew that if everything was destroyed, that it would only be things, and we could rebuild our life if necessary.  It is times like these that the old cliches that you spout of on a regular basis actually take real meaning.  It is my family that is most important to me. 

The other thing I learnt is that if you busy yourself looking after others then you don't have time to dwell on what 'might' happen.  Let me explain.  For the days leading up to the cyclone I was quite frantic with making preparations and thinking of what might happen.  I really got myself worked up about the what ifs (Hey, I am still learning lessons).  Then when all preparations were done, I went to the Nursing Home where my husband works.  He was needed there and we wanted to be in the same place when the cyclone hit so we wouldn't be worrying about each other. 

When I got to the Nursing Home, I was sent to help out in the ward.  Doing little things that would help out the staff, so they could get on with the important work.  Helping out stopped me from watching the news, there were too many other things to do to stop and watch TV.  Not watching the news meant that I was not getting caught up in the drama of it all.  While helping out, I was struck by how sad it was for a lot of these residents and the circumstances they found themselves in.  Once lively people who could no longer communicate or live in the world of today.  I have such an admiration for the Nursing Staff who work so tirelessly with these people and treat these people with such dignity.

So, Yasi has taught me a couple of things.  One, possessions don't matter.  Two, when your world looks terrifying, stop, look around and help out someone who is less fortunate than yourself.  You lose sight of your own problems and when you do look around, your storm has passed without you noticing.