(Haven't posted anything since Hurricane Lane came into my life though I did write some pieces but due to busyness, circumstances, exhaustion, or power outtage, I was unable or unwilling to publish them)
Chugging down the storm track
Tom Barrett- Unsplash.com
This visitor to the islands was declared a hurricane on August 15th and has kept me busy ever since. I have dubbed this hurricane 'Slow Train Lane' 'cuz it has taken its sweet time gettin' here and leavin'.
Hurricane Lane, which is a strange name for a hurricane don'tcha think, came marching our way and built into a roaring Category 5, which scared the bejeezus out of everybody around here you bet. Old timers got ready for the standard tropical storm fare- high winds, pouring rain, flash floods, downed trees and power lines, blocked roads, the stocking up of ice chests with frozen food, long lines at the gas station, etc., etc.
As Lane got closer to us it decided that it might want to hang around, entranced as it was with the islands like any other visitor and wanting to stay just a little bit longer, which it did. Lane's forward motion at one point decreased to 2 mph, which is walking speed, and I was getting just a little bit frustrated because the effects of Lane weren't going away soon enough. We had high winds, which was troubling, and then they got higher. We had periods of strange calm. We had light skies, darkening skies, high clouds, low clouds, and then the power flickered a few times before going out. But it came back on again a few hours later.
Toying with us, it was. Lane got downgraded to a Cat 4, and then to a Cat 3, but kept on marching directly towards us. The forecasters said that it would make an abrupt left (West) turn before it reached us but it was more of a lazy, wide, sweeping brush-with-the-curb sort of turn when it happened, which brought with it periods of drenching rain and all that comes with that- flooded roads, landslides, and more downed trees/power lines.
Comes a time when any visitor stays too long and starts to get on your nerves a bit. Lane was certainly at this point getting on mine. "Enough already!" I yelled but I might as well have been yelling into the wind (which I was) for all the good that was doin' me 'cuz Lane was going to do what he (or was it a she?) damn well pleased. "For godsakes don't backtrack on us!" I also pleaded.
In response to that, Lane said that it was kinda done and would be leaving, but not before it had trashed a lot of people's vacations and messed with the entire tourist industry, upsetting the usual routine here in a big way and putting some unexpected life into things. Lane gave people something to talk about and down at work yesterday, back after three hectic and stress-filled days, I saw my first "I survived Hurricane Lane' T-shirt. You just knew those were coming.
I got a new respect for Mother Nature now. Had Lane hit us with just a Cat 3 wind event it would've been ugly but Lane stayed far enough offshore to keep worst of its effects amongst the churning waters of the open sea.
Have at it out here, Slow Train
Gleb Kozenko- Unsplash.com
After watching the drama unfold, you'd have to think that there is some kind of intelligence present in all this. Lane seemed to have a mind of its own and was meting out exactly what needed to be meted out at each stop on its journey. I myself think that Lane was just a bit uh.. ...'mischievous' is a good word.
Lane was a reminder, a humbling force, it kept me in a highly focused present moment state in a big way, which turned out to be exhausting when experienced for hours on end, and I think that toughened me up a bit, it exercised my dealing-with-stress muscle. Lane also tested me mentally in another way. How long could I witness its effects without going into fear? Could I simply observe what was going on without judgement? Most of the time, yes. But there were moments of high anxiety. When things are bigger than you are, choice disappears. You are simply forced to forgo judgement. Inevitability shows you that resistance is futile. But up until the moment choice disappears, you can still be in argument with What Is, you can rant and rail and fret.
So now Lane is moving away, and it's all calm and peaceful again. Things around here are pretty wet but there seems to be a little more vibrancy in the air and a general gratitude for simply being alive amongst the populace.
Not that they or I want to see anything like Lane again for awhile. How about we call this storm good enough for the next decade?