"Deeper appreciation and deeper awareness of what we value and care for, increases quickly, and in abundance when we are awakened to how fortunate we were to have it in our lives in the first place"
Shannon Ables
I read this tonight as I finally soaked in a somewhat ochre coloured bath after a dramatic, adrenaline fueled and quite extraordinary 24 hours.
As I so often find with my reading material, but especially Shannons, fate, luck or The Lord has it that what I happen to read on a certain day is uncannily apt and so appropriate and relevant to that exact day.
We have just had sever flooding and slips and general devastation from unprecedented rain fall here in Auckland. The likes of which have never been recorded here before. To put an element of perspective on it, I learned on the news this evening that we generally consider 6ml of rain in a single hour "heavy rain" Yesterday we had 72ml in that time.
Roads crumbled and fell away, gardens were converted to rushing brown torrents, intersections were fierce rivers with wheelie bins and cars bobbing about in them. Our own garden suffered considerable damage with our pretty trickling stream charging over its banks, taking grit, boulders, mud, logs and heavy garden furniture with it while carving a new path through our lawn and pushing our retaining wall over by a good meter. Breathtaking, frightening and in a way Awesome- in its true sense of the word. The sheer force of the water to carry such debris, push past anything in its way or take it too.
Heartwarmingly the sense of community was enormous. Many texts and messages- before and after we lost power, people bailing out neighbours, scraping drains with spades, directing traffic, offering advise and alternative routes, checking on wellbeing, seeing where help was needed most. Both last night as the storm raged and in the humid still of this morning as the neighborhood- and indeed the city, woke to survey the extent of the damage, the flooding, the aftermath. The predominant sounds of cars driving through rivers of water and sirens near and far.
Tragically, some lost their lives. But most came together. helped, pitched in, donned gum boots and brushes and walked out to do what was needed.
It has been a long day, we have helped neighbors' and community, strangers and friends- not one person complained. no one was cross or angry or bitter. it was a privilege to witness such humanity, such support, kinship and comradery.
Much of the mess is still there, more rain is to come, but people have done what they can. To secure, make safe, clean and minimize.
Family and friends have reached out to check in and send love.
I am so very grateful to have my home still, my cozy bed, electricity and my family safely here.
Our garden may be scared, but compared to many, our damage in minimal. But my heart is full.
There is still so much good in the world among the chaos , we just have to look for it.
I am ready to savor my inviting bed, begin reading a new book, and look forward to a fresh new day tomorrow.
