It started with a drop, a trickle, a rivulet. Nothing to be alarmed at, just a little bit of rain. Before the end of the day, it was a deluge, a monsoon, a flood.
For Northland, a one in 500-year weather event (those are the odds they talk about) has created widespread damage. The irony of moving from a significant drought situation to flooding, and currently water restriction (the treatment stations can’t keep up) would be laughable if not for the reality for those who are cleaning up.
My family was blessed to avoid any damage to our home and property. There were slips on either side of us, cutting off the road for half a day, but we remained safe. Many others have been devastated and I feel for them, especially on top of the other blows this community has been dealt.
For me, this “weather event” feels like a culmination of so many little drops this year. Lockdown, general community/ country/ world anxiety about COVID19 and the economy, midwinter blues, health frustrations, frail parents, family responsibilities. Even joyous little drops like our new grandson, born early, have contributed to the deluge, with my stopbanks at times feeling like they were going to give way. I’m OK, truly, but as someone whose business has a focus on work wellbeing and self-care my resources have been stretched. So I don’t want to pretend I have all the answers and acknowledge that life can get sucky. I also know I feel better when I help others, so if you are reeling from a similar deluge drop me a line.
So my master plan at the moment is to call on my reserves, keep up my self-care, hunker down, make soup, rebuild the stopbanks, and wait for the sun to come out again, as it always does.
