I spent sixteen years working on a barrier island and eventually moved to the island. My stay was short lived due to a hurricane. I was living in a small duplex working to downsize my life. My children were grown, and I wanted to live a little smaller. When I moved to the duplex everything wouldn’t fit so I got a storage unit. Right before the hurricane hit, I finally got everything moved out of the storage unit. I had given my daughter things that were hers and my son took a couple pieces of furniture. I finally was able to move the remaining items out of the storage unit and into the duplex. The plan was to finish going through everything and finding it all a home. Hurricane Harvey took care of that for me.

I lost almost everything except my glassware and a few odds and ends. From the outside the duplex looked intact, but the water had risen a few feet during the storm. When I entered the duplex after the hurricane there was a line on the walls showing where the water reached. What I did own that wasn’t destroyed by being submerged in water was covered in mildew. I spent a couple of weeks getting everything out and salvaging what little I could.

Fortunately for me I had already started letting go of excess. Sadly, for my son who was off at college I lost several boxes of his things that he hadn’t had a chance to go through and decide what to keep. I had taken a few boxes of his stuff with me when I left because I actually stayed with him and his roommate a few hours away when I evacuated for the storm. I took a suitcase of clothes, my pictures, and the dog. When I returned after the storm, I still had a suitcase of clothes, my pictures, and the dog.

A little over six years have gone by. I replaced my living room furniture and bedroom furniture. I lost my artwork that I had collected over thirty years. Gradually as I find something that interests me, I add it to my walls. I am not much for knick knacks because I don’t like having to dust around a lot of things. I do like things on my walls. It makes me feel more at home. I have a comfortable apartment and have everything I need to feel comfortable at home. I now have a rule that if something comes into the house something else has to go out. It works for me and helps me not accumulate stuff.

The hurricane taught me that I certainly don’t need as much as I once thought I did. Also, my kids were grown so that made it different for me than many of the people in my town. I can remember that one of the things that survived the hurricane was my aluminum bicycle. I felt so bad for all the children losing all their belongings. I ended up giving my bike to a coworker for their daughter. I liked the idea of perhaps her smiling after such an ordeal. I would never wish a hurricane on anyone, but I could replace what I lost. I am really struggling right now with these wars and the lives being lost, especially the children. As far as I know, we only get one life and all I see is that war robs innocent people of the one thing that makes us human, life on this earth.