After the Storm: Waiting.

Today marked the fifth day since Hurricane Ida made landfall as a Category 4 (almost 5) storm in southern Louisiana.

The experience has altered my concept of time.

First is the waiting for electricity to be restored to my residence. That’s the big wait that is on everyone’s minds. However, when the quieting reality sets in that the big wait is one of weeks, not days (and certainly not hours), then many smaller yet critical waits become a central life focus. For example, I learned that a particular grocery gets an ice delivery in the mornings. I was told 10AM, only to discover the following morning that ice was unexpectedly delivered early and I’d missed it. No bagged ice for my fridge and freezer that day. So, the next morning, I awoke early so that I might arrive at the grocery before 8AM so that I could wait. And that’s…