A Halloween sign, from a shop in Northern London. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
One of the latest challenges was the October Nor’easter that swept through New England last weekend. I (Peg) happened to be in NYC and was caught off-guard. Following a gorgeous late October Friday, the wet and heavy snow felt a bit surreal as we were suddenly plunged into winter. Sloshing through city streets with umbrellas blowing and wearing shoes instead of boots was not fun. The next day was gorgeous again: a clear blue and sun glistening through foliage. As we traveled north, however, a different picture emerged. Abandoned cars on snowy roadways and fallen trees soon gave way to long gas lines that reminded me of the 1970’s energy crisis. We knew something more had happened. Power was out throughout parts of NY, CT, MA and NH. Luckily we were able to fill the gas tank just when we needed it.
We arrived home to no power and an hour’s light left. Since our town felt like a war zone with extensive damage to trees and power lines, we decided to pack our bags for a Tuesday trip to CA and head further north where things were operating fine. I spent Monday with a client near the NH seacoast. By mid-day the snow had melted and everyone was preparing for Halloween. Simultaneously, Halloween was quickly being rescheduled in areas hard hit by the storm. Very early Tuesday morning we traveled back home and emptied our refrigerator by flashlight. Three days without power were beginning to take its toll on the refrigerator. Later in the day we arrived in San Diego, a world apart from the one we left behind, where five days later the power remains out in many areas. Along the way, our connecting flight was cancelled due to a maintenance issue. The two-hour delay gave us time to slow down, enjoy a meal and people-watch in Phoenix.
It’s been a whirlwind week with many experiences of energy extremes: calm vs. stormy weather, cool vs. warm temperatures, East vs. West coast, city energy vs. country vs. seacoast, the generosity of friends and neighbors, and more. I used much of the time to observe and study energy €¦energy of the environment, the weather, people, and people’s reactions to events, as well as my own feelings and reactions to the circumstances and events around me. I consciously pulled my energy in while riding the NYC subway and allowed it to expand and soak up the energy of the NH seacoast as well as the coastline of southern CA. I was grateful to one neighbor for clearing our driveway of fallen tree branches before we returned home on Sunday and for another driving us to the airport Tuesday morning. I was also grateful that we found gas exactly when we needed it on our return trip from NYC and to the airline customer service rep for rescheduling us on the next flight to San Diego after the cancelled flight. We were delighted to find our luggage waiting for us when we arrived and now look forward to visiting our West Coast family and friends.
We are clearly living through changing times. An effective response is to be flexible and adaptable. Know that plans may change at any time. Be open to the unexpected and maintain a sense of curiosity about what it may bring. Notice your reactions and feelings. If you find yourself getting tense or feeling stressed, breathe. Take a step back, reflect about what is going on and more importantly, notice your reaction to what is occurring. You may not be able to change what is happening, but you are in charge of your reaction to it. Use these changing times to practice going with the flow. Be flexible, kind, compassionate, and patient. Adapt to each situation at hand based on what is happening in the moment. You may find it’s an easier way to live.
Leave a Reply