Sometimes Life Forces You to Stop and Take a Really Good Look

Hurricane Irene came through South Brunswick Township on Saturday, August 27, 2011 with a vengeance. She is gone, but not forgotten.

Over a week later, people are STILL trying to get back to "life as we knew it." Homes were flooded out, people left without power for days, trees and power lines down on houses and roads, high winds damaged homes and cars and bridges washed away. The devastation for our community was far worse than it has seen in many, many years. The toll this has taken on people's physical and emotional health is heart breaking.

Residents asessing their damage, starting round the clock clean up, losing personal items that cannot be replaced, having to leave homes and stay at temporary shelters or hotels. The stress behind the insurance claims and out of pocket expenses. The lost groceries from no power. The damaged homes and cars that will need months of repair and cause inconvenience to the families they belong to. The exposure to wet, dirty and moldy items and homes.

The workers who worked countless hours to put the electric back on, who cut down tree after tree to clear roads, or clear the way for people from their homes or cars. The police, fire and EMS workers who ensured everyone's saftey during this difficult time....ALL have been effected.

This takes a toll on everyone's health. The stress. The lack of sleep. The back breaking work. People become sick, over tired, irritable, furstrated and depressed. Not only our physical well being is severely compromised during this time, but our mental health as well.

It's very difficult when you experience these extreme conditions and severe loss to find the bright spot. To hold onto thoughts such as, "well no one got hurt," or "it's just stuff - stuff can be replaced," or "it can always be worse."

While that is ALL true in lots of cases, no one wants to have to go through such trying times. People work hard and save for their homes, and cars, and personal items and it's a tough blow when those things are damaged or taken away in one quick act of Mother Nature.

So while I am not here to try to tell you to find the "silver lining" in all this, (because I too, was without power for quite some time and had a very large tree literally take off my deck when it fell and the corner of my home, as well as causing interior damage in the process), I know we must do SOMETHING to heal.

We have to get up every day and find "something" to keep us focused and grounded. Something that reminds us, that while all of this truly stinks, we have a lot to still be thankful for and happy about.

Even if we have to try harder than normal to find that "thing," there IS something for everyone of us and "THAT" is what will keep us moving forward. "THAT" is what makes us take another step each day to move farther and farther away from this chaos which will some day soon be just a past memory for us all.  

Help your mental health by doing your best to find the happy ANYTHING and focus on it. Know that this is temporary and better things are around the corner. Let your emotional health heal and then start to work on helping your physical get more rest, calm down and feel better.

I was amazed at our community and how helpful and genuinely concerned so many people were about myself, and others, in the aftermath of Irene. People chipped in and offered help and support, and still do and its comforting to know that human kindness is not extinct.....at least NOT in South Brunswick.

So remember, if you CAN...please DO....people need you and appreciate you.

And don't forget, that no true life is without as many hardships, as it is happiness. So learn from the trying times and don't forget to enjoy every minute of the great ones!

I wish a "speedy recovery" to South Brunswick and all of its residents!