Click Play, Please!

Click Play, Please!

I've been out my routine for almost a week now. It's back to basics here in Miami and all because of another hurricane. I still don't have any electricity and so the internet has been hard to reach. The positive of this situation is that it's helped me realize what's around me in a more detailed manner and notice certain things that I might take for granted. I have been in my house for the past four days now. Luckily, the weather here in Miami isn't as hot as usual. So I've been enjoying the open windows with the lovely breeze. I sometimes try to ignore the loud drilling sound of the generators from my neighborhood, but then the annoying noise starts to haunt me again. Overall, I have learned to be patient and to be grateful that I'm in a safe location. I also have plenty of food and water. I do miss the freedom of driving, there has been an 8 pm curfew in my area, because of the high amount of traffic lights not working. I can't even remember the last time I had a curfew. The gas here has been very hard to access, with a waiting time average of at least two and half hours. It's surreal seeing people argue over gas. What a learning experience this has been.

Everyday I remind myself that we shouldn't complain over the small things in life. Cell phones, internet, ipods, dvds, flat screen tvs, that's all materialistic things. Yes, I enjoy playing with all of them and miss them dearly. But when it comes down to everything being shut down and you only having yourself, your family, your home, everything else becomes useless. It felt like in the movie Vanilla Sky, everything around you is paused, except you and well in this case other people were also moving. No electricity, cell phones were only getting busy signals, no regular phone lines working, just heard myself breathing and tried to find candles to see the light again. Breathing and being safe was the need. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to see and hear the ocean, it was so relaxing and care-free. Every day here is a step closer to getting things back to normal. What happened here in Miami this week has been a surreal experience, but there are many other countries with more serious issues. My life has been paused for a week, and it's out of my control. No work, no school, not much opened. Just waiting patiently. Soon I will be a constant writer for Luckynotes again. Have you ever felt paused? Someone click PLAY, please.

Posted: 1:59 p.m. EST October 28, 2005 by Mari Fernandez