Nashville Rising: The Great Flood of 2010
If you don’t live in Nashville, the recent flooding may be news to you. Unfortunately, it has been overlooked by much of the national media until recently. We are now a week out, and the level of devastation is really starting to sink in.
Many people have completely lost their homes. Much of the downtown area was underwater. The famous Opryland Hotel has had to decline visitors at least through October to get the cleanup process underway after the 10 feet of water that swept through and left a thick layer of mud after the water receeded.
When you drive through the suburbs, you see endless piles of trash and debris that was once the makings of people’s homes. It’s a sobering reminder of just how easy life can change in an instant.
The great thing about this tragic event has been the action of countless volunteers. People are driving in herds to the other side of town to help people they don’t know. It’s an amazing thing to see, and it says a lot about this grand city we call home.
You don’t have to live in Nashville to help. There are plenty of ways to make monetary donations or item donations to those who lost so much by this event.
One thing I love about Nashville is the graphic design community. In a matter of a day or two, multiple graphics were created for tshirts and posters all to benefit the flood victims. Here is a list of some of the items available. I did not create any of these… just passing it along for the greater good
Click on the image to be taken to the purchasing site:
home, sweet home
I am back home now, sleeping in my own bed. It’s a great feeling. They released me from Vandy on Saturday evening. The Dr said that if they were to keep me there until I was feeling 100% better that I would probably be there all next week. Since my oxygen levels and lung functions were pretty stable, they felt like it was safe for me to be at home, with the understanding that I am not to do much of anything at all for the next week. I was a little shocked and horrified at that statement. One more week out of work and school… one more week of boredom and restlessness. I tried to negotiate something with them, but I guess Vandy Docs are supposed to know what they are doing. They are pretty smart like that.
So I’m regaining some strength slowly, not needing to depend on my breathing treatments quite as often, staying on all of my gross meds that make me feel unhuman. I tried to do some stuff around here yesterday. I washed the two sinkfuls of dishes and started tackling the huge laundry basket full of towels that seems to be ever present. I think I tried to do too much, but maybe it was good for me. I feel so restless and stir crazy.
I am also having a lot of anxiety. I know the meds do this to me, and I am somewhat anxious on any given day, but this feels a little more than usual. A lot of it is from trying to figure out the practical things in life. How in the world am I going to pay my bills after being out of work for 2 weeks?? What can I do to prevent another bad flareup like this so this never happens again? There are just so many things I’m going to have to figure out.
So, if anyone has any suggestions on anything at all, let me know! I can definitely use all of the mental assistance I can get! Anyone need any photos done so I can buy some groceries? 🙂
Evening
I finished watching this movie today. It is beautiful. It was a pleasant surprise to be so moved, especially after having to sit through numerous flops with the past several movies I’ve watched. It actually stirred me pretty intensely.
This move probably got to me more than it normally would, just because of recently watching my mom deal with her cancer. In the movie, the main character is an elderly alzheimer’s patient, remembering her past and reliving certain times. It jumps back and forth, a lot like The Notebook.
I’ll admit that I’m a complete basketcase right now. It definitely dug up some emotions I was not expecting to have to deal with on an otherwise normal Wednesday morning. Life is such a strange entanglement of hope, and joy, and pain. I hate that so much suffering comes along with aging. It’s been the most difficult thing in my life this far, just to have to sit back and watch my mom suffer.
I found out this past weekend that my mom’s bloodwork, is again, coming back abnormal. Which means, the cancer is still present in her body. What a devastating thing to hear. Just when she was recovering from her second surgery, having her second round of chemo. We were all hoping that maybe this would take care of everything and allow her to live her life normally again. I guess that is too much to ask. In her own words, we are all just slowly dying. I know it’s a reality, but it doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.
It’s hard for me to process it all. Hearing my mom talk casually about the end of her life is not something I ever could have prepared for.
So, with all of that said, I have to push forward, with a heavy heart. I need to head into work and hope no one notices my puffy eyes.
Beware Blue Monday
read the article here if you’re interested
I’m a sucker behind the psychology of this sort of thing. I wonder how much the power of suggestion is going to play into our feelings about Blue Monday. I know I am going to take some additional proactive steps, just to try and head it off. I’ll let you know how that goes.
Tomorrow is also MLK Day, which means a lot of people are off work (sorry to those of you who aren’t!). Let’s all try to remember the teachings of MLK and the idea of equality that he was so focused on. We still have such a long way to go.
Just Another Pilgrimage 