(Sunset on the beach in Naples, Florida)
HOW A CAPRICORN MOON FACED HER FEAR AT BALATA GARDENS
By Myra Wexler Darwish
There I was, high above the canopy of trees at Balata Gardens in Martinique, The French Antilles, walking across one of five rope suspension bridges. The decision to walk across the bridges was a life-altering event, one that this seventy-one year old woman would have never thought possible. Though the story that follows may seem farfetched, it may not be for those who appreciate the symbolism of astrology. After all, what does a Moon sign have to do with anything, especially when facing one’s greatest fear?
It all started from early on; I was one of those children that was born serious, so much so that one day when my mother was wheeling me in my wooden carriage, a woman stopped by to peak in and said, “Do you know what you have there?” My mother shared this story with pride many times over to me, because at some level she understood that her little daughter evoked a reaction from others that wasn’t the typical, “Oh how cute and adorable she is,” but instead gave the onlooker pause to recognize that an infant with a Moon in Capricorn was born serious, and tended to stay that way. What that dear lady didn’t know, was that she was looking at a double earth, soli-lunar combination of Taurus and Capricorn. Roughly translated, I was a determined individual with a high potential for self-discipline.
Dolls never interested me, or warm and cuddly things, except for my younger sister; I loved to be in the middle of adult conversations about the state of the world and other pressing matters. It didn’t matter that I was so young, the thought provoking content and tone of the subjects discussed was what I needed to feed my soul. I sought out seriousness, and being born during the Second World War only added to my natural emotional soberness. Whether you believe in past life experiences or not; I was one of those individuals who felt great anxiety whenever my feet were away from the ground. In other words, I had a significant fear of heights…seems like it came in with me from birth, how else could I explain it? I was blessed with a mother who took great care of me; I was never dropped, nor dangled about. So great was my fear, that I needed to walk the same safe path daily, stepped off of curves with significant trepidation, and if I could have put lead in my shoes, I would have, just to give myself a greater sense of grounding.
So getting a little more serious, which I do very well; Saturn rules Capricorn, and colors its ability to feel and respond in its own unique emotional way. In Saturn’s very adult hands, the Capricorn Moon has the potential to derive self-respect, as well as self-discipline. There is also a faith in one’s destiny - I recall many times as a young child when I was in a “pondering” mood, the words, “I will be alright,” and “I’ll figure it out,” came into my mind. I would attribute both of those thought processes to a deep faith in my own potential to be in charge of my future.
There is a potent internal process that drives the need for self-sufficiency, figuring out things alone has always been important to me. Saturn is all about being in reality; sometimes described aptly as the “Reality Principle.” The experience of being an adult, making decisions, and being independent are all part of its serious veneer, which sometimes is described as being “Cold.” Underneath the veneer however, resides a heart that beats and has longings just like everyone else, a heart that has no less need for support and affirmation than any other human being. And in my case, a woman who yearned to be able to be like other people who could look down from a one-story building without being terrified, and ultimately achieve the impossible – walk across a rope bridge, high above a canopy of trees, without passing out cold. Was I asking too much?
The morning of that amazing day, we entered the gardens and were greeted by beautiful, luminous, green-colored hummingbirds, and a cloud covered mountain showing through the trees in the distance. It felt otherworldly, as if I had stepped into an exquisite dream that was just perfect in its beauty. Then the magic happened, and I knew I was finally able to let go of my fear; in doing so, I felt a peace that I can only describe as surrender. The trails twisted and turned until the steps leading up to the first of five hanging bridges was mine to climb up to. I went up to the first platform, “Only two at a time can cross,” the sign read. I remained calm, and moved forward. With a firm step, I held firmly onto the rope that framed the sides of the bridge. In the middle of the first bridge I became acutely aware of my self-talk, “This is your time,” and “Whatever fear has been with you during this lifetime, you no longer need it.” The fourth bridge was longer than the others, and swung the most, even so, I kept moving forward – knowing that this was something that I had to do for myself. No one else could ever force or wish this experience on me. When I reached the final bridge and walked down the steps to the other side, I felt a release accompanied by tears of joy, and a sense of great achievement. My husband who was behind me, making sure I was alright, was speechless; his smile a reflection of his knowing how this fear had me in its grip for so many years of my life.
There comes a time for everything, and the day had finally come to rid myself of a fear that had possessed me for over seventy years. I know deep down in my heart that age had something to do with being able to free myself; it was simply time for the chains to come off, and I didn't want to live in fear anymore! That serious little girl had finally achieved what she had strived and hoped for; she found the courage to be herself, in her own way, and in her own time.
© Copyright 2017 Myra W Darwish
Posted: April 4, 2017
THEY CAN HACK OUR DATA BUT NOT OUR SOUL
By, Myra Wexler Darwish
Raw fear gripped us that Monday afternoon, “Oh my God, our computer system has just been
hacked“Not us.” Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember thinking, “Oh how vulnerable we are!”
A whole gamut of feelings flooded me: disbelief, anger, denial, sadness, and the most physically and psychologically uncomfortable one, fear. It was anger though that spoke the loudest, “Why the _______ (you can fill in the word as long as it is spelled correctly) did we let this happen? “Why did we answer that phone call in the first place?” Most importantly, the challenge that lay before us was to remain civil and kind to each other as well as to ourselves in a challenging circumstance. This was a test of our fifty-six years of marriage!
Taken aback, I plopped down in my chair - barely feeling my body. The hacking of our data had literally anesthetized me; such was its power! Being in a state of fear, which I was in, was like having your body submerged in a pond of frozen water while your head is still above the surface. You are able to still see what’s around you, though your body doesn’t feel anything; the eyes can still focus, and the brain though slowed down, can still think. It is a shock, and if anyone has any doubts; it is an assault. For those readers who have had the experience of being hacked, you can probably relate to what I am about to say: it is an overwhelming attack on one’s physical, mental, and emotional integrity. A true security breech!
I couldn’t tell you how long I sat in that chair, but by the time I stood up, whatever survival skills I had went into action. I knew I had to get to the other side of the nausea and sick feelings, and I remember saying to myself through the numbness, “What do we do first?” The very act of trying to come up with a strategy helped the most. Action I learned is the first step to empowering oneself, and I might add, probably the hardest. The body wants to be stilled; it is exhausted from trying to process what just happened. The gravity of the situation weighs in however, and the higher cortical center speaks its truth…”You have to act, this is serious!”
The most important piece of information that I initially gathered was from an article I had saved from the local newspaper: “Steps To Take When You Think You’ve Been Hacked.” Oh, was I glad that I hadn’t thrown it away. The words call, write, stop, change, or go stood out as I read through its pages. Call or go to your bank (s) to immediately to change your account numbers and credit cards; call Social Security office to report potential identity theft, and write a fraud abuse statement; stop/freeze any credit report (s) that might be gleaned from your information; change your landline telephones to a new system that automatically can block calls coming in by simply depressing a dedicated button; and while you’re doing everything at once, go to the police station to file a report, etc.
Go, do, call, write, change, and stop - we followed each command, as if we were soldiers executing battle plans. Our home became a strategic command center! Never in my life have I appreciated the self-discipline inherent in the armed forces more than the days that followed the hacking event.
Yes, it turned out to be days, in fact it became weeks before we felt that we were in some sense, on the other side of the experience. We lacked sleep, yet we were able to work with the fear that we were feeling; we didn’t succumb to it. We followed each and every item on the Steps To Do In Case Of Hacking list, and we learned information that we might never have sought. We know now that credit agencies can put fraud alerts, on your credit reports, or if the consumer wishes, credit itself can be frozen. Banks are open and willing to help you; there are alert systems in place that give the consumer more information and a sense of control. New landline phone systems are available; we bought one at our local big box, and it has given us more confidence in gaining control of the calls that are attempting to come through.
There is nothing quite as empowering as pushing a red block button when an unwanted call comes through. You strive to have some sense of control over your situation, because it just plain makes you feel human again.
The vulnerability that we felt is endemic to our times; we are all open to a bombardment of information that goes both ways: from us and to us. Our proverbial front doors are open, and if we are not careful and discerning enough; we may let a stranger in whose intention is about being less than kind to us.
Our front door was opened via a telephone call that claimed to be from a world-class security company; in a vulnerable moment, we then sanctioned Internet access. For others, the door can be opened from an email that fraudulently represents itself as a familiar entity, which is known as phishing. Once the individual clicks on the emails’ website, access is granted. Doors can also be opened while an individual is on their computer and clicks on a pop-up; one click and the hackers may find their way into your data.
Data is gleaned from us daily; we in turn seek data for a variety of reasons. We place information on the social networks to become part of a community, which meets our human needs for belonging. We share personal information that can be extrapolated, analyzed, and placed in specific boxes; in turn, we are categorized, classified, and branded. She is a progressive; he is an independent. He likes to buy her flowers for their anniversary; she prefers to buy her items from ______________ on the Internet. He looks to alternative healing methods; she has a history of cancer and seeks information on clinical trials. She votes in all elections; he only votes in the presidential elections. So much to learn about each person!
We on the other hand have the ability to seek data from a variety of resources. Want to know the movies playing at your local theater and buy tickets? You can. Have a fractured Tibia and are stuck at home? You can visit the world’s museums via the Web, and never leave your chair. Do you need to know the latest stock averages and financial analyses? The Web can meet your needs. Do you have a nasty cold and want to know the latest information on how to take care of yourself better? The Web offers you information from a variety of sources; some have evidence-based data and others are ideas that are shared in healing-oriented communities. Is learning your passion? You will find lectures that abound with a variety of topics. All you need is time; the data and resources are there!
We worked very hard to fix the problem, two older adults with lots of life experience and drive; one hundred and sixty-one years total to be exact (I’ll let you ponder on our ages). It would have been easy to succumb to feeling like we were victims, which in reality is what we were. We did suffer given the invasiveness of the event. We did grieve; it’s sad to think we let our normal healthy boundaries be so permeable. We felt pain; it hurts to know that there are such evil-minded people in the world.
What we didn’t do was to go into a blaming mode; we opted instead on aiming for a solution. We also forgave each other early on, an act that will forevermore stand out as one of the great moments in our lifetime together. You know what you’re made of when the chips are down!
We moved forward, and never stayed in the frozenness of that pond; we allowed ourselves to gradually feel again. We found strength in moving forward together, never denying the stress that we were experiencing. How could you not have stress? Instead, we tried to work with it. We ate lighter and healthier meals, took short breaks out our front door to get some sunshine, and visited the flowers in our garden. There is great joy in knowing that the geraniums were blossoming, and that birds were drinking from our purple-glass fountain; despite our angst, there were parts of our life that remained whole and beautiful.
Most importantly, we reached out to our children for their support and words of wisdom; nothing compares to a loving and empathic text that says: “Oh I know this isn’t easy; so sorry that you have to go through so much stress,” “We love and support you.” Or a call that offers practical ideas on resources that might help. It was also wonderful to know that our grandchildren were doing well and thriving; the news of normalcy is like being on a well-stabilized ship in a wave-worn ocean. Our approach was a holistic and healing-oriented one; it’s how we try to live our lives every day. Why would we change in a time of duress?
The greatest learning for me during those harrowing days was that we remained strong and resilient; at some point the data became secondary to the process of supporting each other. The paraphrased and exquisite words of Albert Camus, offer a deeper description of what the experience was like: “In the midst of winter, we found within ourselves, an invincible summer.”
At the end of our saga, it seems that our souls have remained intact along with our love for each other; two forces that are apparently impenetrable to any hacker that ever lived!
© Copyright 2018 Myra Wexler Darwish
Posted April 9, 2018
By Myra Wexler Darwish
There I was, high above the canopy of trees at Balata Gardens in Martinique, The French Antilles, walking across one of five rope suspension bridges. The decision to walk across the bridges was a life-altering event, one that this seventy-one year old woman would have never thought possible. Though the story that follows may seem farfetched, it may not be for those who appreciate the symbolism of astrology. After all, what does a Moon sign have to do with anything, especially when facing one’s greatest fear?
It all started from early on; I was one of those children that was born serious, so much so that one day when my mother was wheeling me in my wooden carriage, a woman stopped by to peak in and said, “Do you know what you have there?” My mother shared this story with pride many times over to me, because at some level she understood that her little daughter evoked a reaction from others that wasn’t the typical, “Oh how cute and adorable she is,” but instead gave the onlooker pause to recognize that an infant with a Moon in Capricorn was born serious, and tended to stay that way. What that dear lady didn’t know, was that she was looking at a double earth, soli-lunar combination of Taurus and Capricorn. Roughly translated, I was a determined individual with a high potential for self-discipline.
Dolls never interested me, or warm and cuddly things, except for my younger sister; I loved to be in the middle of adult conversations about the state of the world and other pressing matters. It didn’t matter that I was so young, the thought provoking content and tone of the subjects discussed was what I needed to feed my soul. I sought out seriousness, and being born during the Second World War only added to my natural emotional soberness. Whether you believe in past life experiences or not; I was one of those individuals who felt great anxiety whenever my feet were away from the ground. In other words, I had a significant fear of heights…seems like it came in with me from birth, how else could I explain it? I was blessed with a mother who took great care of me; I was never dropped, nor dangled about. So great was my fear, that I needed to walk the same safe path daily, stepped off of curves with significant trepidation, and if I could have put lead in my shoes, I would have, just to give myself a greater sense of grounding.
So getting a little more serious, which I do very well; Saturn rules Capricorn, and colors its ability to feel and respond in its own unique emotional way. In Saturn’s very adult hands, the Capricorn Moon has the potential to derive self-respect, as well as self-discipline. There is also a faith in one’s destiny - I recall many times as a young child when I was in a “pondering” mood, the words, “I will be alright,” and “I’ll figure it out,” came into my mind. I would attribute both of those thought processes to a deep faith in my own potential to be in charge of my future.
There is a potent internal process that drives the need for self-sufficiency, figuring out things alone has always been important to me. Saturn is all about being in reality; sometimes described aptly as the “Reality Principle.” The experience of being an adult, making decisions, and being independent are all part of its serious veneer, which sometimes is described as being “Cold.” Underneath the veneer however, resides a heart that beats and has longings just like everyone else, a heart that has no less need for support and affirmation than any other human being. And in my case, a woman who yearned to be able to be like other people who could look down from a one-story building without being terrified, and ultimately achieve the impossible – walk across a rope bridge, high above a canopy of trees, without passing out cold. Was I asking too much?
The morning of that amazing day, we entered the gardens and were greeted by beautiful, luminous, green-colored hummingbirds, and a cloud covered mountain showing through the trees in the distance. It felt otherworldly, as if I had stepped into an exquisite dream that was just perfect in its beauty. Then the magic happened, and I knew I was finally able to let go of my fear; in doing so, I felt a peace that I can only describe as surrender. The trails twisted and turned until the steps leading up to the first of five hanging bridges was mine to climb up to. I went up to the first platform, “Only two at a time can cross,” the sign read. I remained calm, and moved forward. With a firm step, I held firmly onto the rope that framed the sides of the bridge. In the middle of the first bridge I became acutely aware of my self-talk, “This is your time,” and “Whatever fear has been with you during this lifetime, you no longer need it.” The fourth bridge was longer than the others, and swung the most, even so, I kept moving forward – knowing that this was something that I had to do for myself. No one else could ever force or wish this experience on me. When I reached the final bridge and walked down the steps to the other side, I felt a release accompanied by tears of joy, and a sense of great achievement. My husband who was behind me, making sure I was alright, was speechless; his smile a reflection of his knowing how this fear had me in its grip for so many years of my life.
There comes a time for everything, and the day had finally come to rid myself of a fear that had possessed me for over seventy years. I know deep down in my heart that age had something to do with being able to free myself; it was simply time for the chains to come off, and I didn't want to live in fear anymore! That serious little girl had finally achieved what she had strived and hoped for; she found the courage to be herself, in her own way, and in her own time.
© Copyright 2017 Myra W Darwish
Posted: April 4, 2017
THEY CAN HACK OUR DATA BUT NOT OUR SOUL
By, Myra Wexler Darwish
Raw fear gripped us that Monday afternoon, “Oh my God, our computer system has just been
hacked“Not us.” Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember thinking, “Oh how vulnerable we are!”
A whole gamut of feelings flooded me: disbelief, anger, denial, sadness, and the most physically and psychologically uncomfortable one, fear. It was anger though that spoke the loudest, “Why the _______ (you can fill in the word as long as it is spelled correctly) did we let this happen? “Why did we answer that phone call in the first place?” Most importantly, the challenge that lay before us was to remain civil and kind to each other as well as to ourselves in a challenging circumstance. This was a test of our fifty-six years of marriage!
Taken aback, I plopped down in my chair - barely feeling my body. The hacking of our data had literally anesthetized me; such was its power! Being in a state of fear, which I was in, was like having your body submerged in a pond of frozen water while your head is still above the surface. You are able to still see what’s around you, though your body doesn’t feel anything; the eyes can still focus, and the brain though slowed down, can still think. It is a shock, and if anyone has any doubts; it is an assault. For those readers who have had the experience of being hacked, you can probably relate to what I am about to say: it is an overwhelming attack on one’s physical, mental, and emotional integrity. A true security breech!
I couldn’t tell you how long I sat in that chair, but by the time I stood up, whatever survival skills I had went into action. I knew I had to get to the other side of the nausea and sick feelings, and I remember saying to myself through the numbness, “What do we do first?” The very act of trying to come up with a strategy helped the most. Action I learned is the first step to empowering oneself, and I might add, probably the hardest. The body wants to be stilled; it is exhausted from trying to process what just happened. The gravity of the situation weighs in however, and the higher cortical center speaks its truth…”You have to act, this is serious!”
The most important piece of information that I initially gathered was from an article I had saved from the local newspaper: “Steps To Take When You Think You’ve Been Hacked.” Oh, was I glad that I hadn’t thrown it away. The words call, write, stop, change, or go stood out as I read through its pages. Call or go to your bank (s) to immediately to change your account numbers and credit cards; call Social Security office to report potential identity theft, and write a fraud abuse statement; stop/freeze any credit report (s) that might be gleaned from your information; change your landline telephones to a new system that automatically can block calls coming in by simply depressing a dedicated button; and while you’re doing everything at once, go to the police station to file a report, etc.
Go, do, call, write, change, and stop - we followed each command, as if we were soldiers executing battle plans. Our home became a strategic command center! Never in my life have I appreciated the self-discipline inherent in the armed forces more than the days that followed the hacking event.
Yes, it turned out to be days, in fact it became weeks before we felt that we were in some sense, on the other side of the experience. We lacked sleep, yet we were able to work with the fear that we were feeling; we didn’t succumb to it. We followed each and every item on the Steps To Do In Case Of Hacking list, and we learned information that we might never have sought. We know now that credit agencies can put fraud alerts, on your credit reports, or if the consumer wishes, credit itself can be frozen. Banks are open and willing to help you; there are alert systems in place that give the consumer more information and a sense of control. New landline phone systems are available; we bought one at our local big box, and it has given us more confidence in gaining control of the calls that are attempting to come through.
There is nothing quite as empowering as pushing a red block button when an unwanted call comes through. You strive to have some sense of control over your situation, because it just plain makes you feel human again.
The vulnerability that we felt is endemic to our times; we are all open to a bombardment of information that goes both ways: from us and to us. Our proverbial front doors are open, and if we are not careful and discerning enough; we may let a stranger in whose intention is about being less than kind to us.
Our front door was opened via a telephone call that claimed to be from a world-class security company; in a vulnerable moment, we then sanctioned Internet access. For others, the door can be opened from an email that fraudulently represents itself as a familiar entity, which is known as phishing. Once the individual clicks on the emails’ website, access is granted. Doors can also be opened while an individual is on their computer and clicks on a pop-up; one click and the hackers may find their way into your data.
Data is gleaned from us daily; we in turn seek data for a variety of reasons. We place information on the social networks to become part of a community, which meets our human needs for belonging. We share personal information that can be extrapolated, analyzed, and placed in specific boxes; in turn, we are categorized, classified, and branded. She is a progressive; he is an independent. He likes to buy her flowers for their anniversary; she prefers to buy her items from ______________ on the Internet. He looks to alternative healing methods; she has a history of cancer and seeks information on clinical trials. She votes in all elections; he only votes in the presidential elections. So much to learn about each person!
We on the other hand have the ability to seek data from a variety of resources. Want to know the movies playing at your local theater and buy tickets? You can. Have a fractured Tibia and are stuck at home? You can visit the world’s museums via the Web, and never leave your chair. Do you need to know the latest stock averages and financial analyses? The Web can meet your needs. Do you have a nasty cold and want to know the latest information on how to take care of yourself better? The Web offers you information from a variety of sources; some have evidence-based data and others are ideas that are shared in healing-oriented communities. Is learning your passion? You will find lectures that abound with a variety of topics. All you need is time; the data and resources are there!
We worked very hard to fix the problem, two older adults with lots of life experience and drive; one hundred and sixty-one years total to be exact (I’ll let you ponder on our ages). It would have been easy to succumb to feeling like we were victims, which in reality is what we were. We did suffer given the invasiveness of the event. We did grieve; it’s sad to think we let our normal healthy boundaries be so permeable. We felt pain; it hurts to know that there are such evil-minded people in the world.
What we didn’t do was to go into a blaming mode; we opted instead on aiming for a solution. We also forgave each other early on, an act that will forevermore stand out as one of the great moments in our lifetime together. You know what you’re made of when the chips are down!
We moved forward, and never stayed in the frozenness of that pond; we allowed ourselves to gradually feel again. We found strength in moving forward together, never denying the stress that we were experiencing. How could you not have stress? Instead, we tried to work with it. We ate lighter and healthier meals, took short breaks out our front door to get some sunshine, and visited the flowers in our garden. There is great joy in knowing that the geraniums were blossoming, and that birds were drinking from our purple-glass fountain; despite our angst, there were parts of our life that remained whole and beautiful.
Most importantly, we reached out to our children for their support and words of wisdom; nothing compares to a loving and empathic text that says: “Oh I know this isn’t easy; so sorry that you have to go through so much stress,” “We love and support you.” Or a call that offers practical ideas on resources that might help. It was also wonderful to know that our grandchildren were doing well and thriving; the news of normalcy is like being on a well-stabilized ship in a wave-worn ocean. Our approach was a holistic and healing-oriented one; it’s how we try to live our lives every day. Why would we change in a time of duress?
The greatest learning for me during those harrowing days was that we remained strong and resilient; at some point the data became secondary to the process of supporting each other. The paraphrased and exquisite words of Albert Camus, offer a deeper description of what the experience was like: “In the midst of winter, we found within ourselves, an invincible summer.”
At the end of our saga, it seems that our souls have remained intact along with our love for each other; two forces that are apparently impenetrable to any hacker that ever lived!
© Copyright 2018 Myra Wexler Darwish
Posted April 9, 2018
A HARRIED HURRICANE SEASON!
By, Myra Wexler Darwish
The whirlwind known as Irma began stirring in the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa long before she made a landing in my home state of Florida. She cajoled and teased her way through the Atlantic, sending waves of palpable fear to all who were in her path. Those of us who have chosen the beautiful peninsula of Florida to be our home, knew all to well that we had twelve-years of relatively low anticipatory anxiety about a major hurricane reaching our shores. The exception was last year in 2016 when Matthew decided at the last minute not to be a direct hit, perhaps a harbinger of things to come! We became quickly reacquainted with the annual angst that is called “Hurricane Season!” Once you’ve been through several as we have…the memory can be quickly reawakened.
Living in hurricane prone area requires a sense of readiness and acute awareness. Our home was stocked with batteries, storm shutters that we could close by hand, a battery-operated radio for local weather reports and announcements, extra water, ice-packs in the freezer to maintain the chests that would hold any perishables, powdered milk, sufficient propane for our grill, car tanks filled with gas, canned foods, freshly cleaned clothes and linen, written materials that discussed evacuation routes and shelters, and perhaps the most important of all, was for each family to make the decision to stay or evacuate.
We became aware of the earliest reports of Irma’s potential in late August when she was identified as a tropical wave off of the Cape Verde Islands. There was certainly trepidation, as Hurricane Harvey had landed in the Houston area causing severe rain and unrelenting flooding less than a week before. Somehow this wasn’t feeling like a quiet season, and of course that turned out to be true.
We listened intently to NOAA’s (National Oceanic And Atmospheric Center) Hurricane reports: the 8:00 am, 11:00 am, 2:00 pm and so on. These update report times became mandatory listening; we took each twist and turn of Irma’s path to be of great concern. In 2004 and 2005, the state was hit with a slew of hurricanes: Jeanne, Frances, Charlie, and Wilma, each one having its own unique signature. Some were rain-filled events, some stalled, some twisted and turned in loops and seemed more like gymnasts then events of nature, and some shook the leaves from many of the beautiful old-growth trees that are the hallmark of the area we live in. Irma had something different; she had ferocious intensity. Eyebrows were raised when we heard the forecaster say, “She’s now up to a category 5,” wait a minute I thought, didn’t she just come off the African coast about five days ago? Irma made landfall in Barbuda, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Anguilla, the Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas and St. John, and Cuba causing havoc in her wake. Trees were denuded of their leaves, flooding was prominent, roofs battered, homes destroyed, and lives were lost. Just tragic!
We watched the television intently, and all eyes were transfixed on the circulating swath of wind and clouds that made up her cyclonic energy; hearts would temporarily stop, as we knew that Florida was in her path. It doesn’t take long for a near panic to set in: should we stay or go??? Long waits at gas lines, plywood in short supply, water no longer available on the shelves, and the television blaring its list of closings – schools out till??? Shelters open on??? Curfew from 10 pm to 7 am!
Our two sons live in Florida, our youngest in the Naples area, which sustained a near direct, hit due to its closeness to Marco Island, and our older son and his family who live close by. The son in Naples decided to stay, and our other son left to be with friends in another state. We decided to stay! We did every thing we humanly could to put ourselves in a comfortable position, at 74 & 85 years old respectively, we figured we had a lot of expertise between us, which proved to be true. We learned a lot about hurricanes those dreadful hours before Irma struck – her pressure in millibars, how eye walls had their replacement cycles, and how the best forecasters can’t tell exactly where a hurricane will make land, until they actually do. On Saturday, September 10th, Irma landed twice in Florida, first in Cudjoe Key and then on Marco Island; she was so large that both the East & West coasts felt her fury.
We were in our home hunkered down, flashlights and radio ready for use, trying to be as “normal” as we could. We went ahead with our dinner, turned on the television, and waited for the power to go off. It is an eerie feeling being in a darkened home that is completely covered by shutters, but one can become used to it especially when you know it’s for your safety. Thankfully, our son and daughter-in-law who remained in Naples kept in close contact with us for as long as they could via iPhone messaging – they stayed with neighbors who had a two-story home, as they were afraid of potential flooding, which actually turned out not to be so bad in their immediate area.
We wore earplugs when we went to sleep, as the wind and gale and debris falling on the shutters and the sides of our home made it difficult to sleep. I remember looking up at the ceiling when I woke up the next morning to see the ceiling fan still working; we never did lose power, which may be because we are on the same grid as our local utility company. We went through many hours not knowing if our son and daughter-in-law were o.k. The worry is huge: did they lose their roof? What is it like outside once we open the shutters?? How long will the power last?? How did our neighbors fare in the terrible storm??
The post-hurricane anxiety is different than the pre. In the pre-hurricane hours it’s about scurrying about, sometimes frantically to prepare or evacuate as best as you can; in the post it’s the anticipation of all the losses that may have occurred. Both sides of the hurricane demand a lot of an individual; storms can bring out the best and the worst of us! In both the before and the aftermath of Irma the usage of social media when available was an amazing source of support. The local paper created a web page where all in the county could share information with each other: Does anyone know where I can get water? Which shelter can I take my pet to? There’s a neighbor who is alone, can anyone look in on him? I’m anxious, is anyone else feeling the same way? Thank you to a local weatherman who did an outstanding job of keeping everyone informed. I have a newfound respect for the connectivity that social media offered us.
As we emerged from our sheltered cocoon, we realized that our immediate community was spared the worst. Most of us had their power remain with the exception of cable and Internet. Yes, we had a great deal of limb and tree debris, and roof tile damage, but the neighborhood disaster committee did their checks and all residents were deemed to be o.k. It was outside of our neighborhood that we heard many stories of difficult and horrific situations: There were fatalities among the elderly in Long-Term-Care facilities from heat exhaustion; Trees fell on roofs and caused severe damage; millions were without power, and flooding on the East and West coast of the state was severe in places. We were placed under a curfew; something I don’t remember happening before, which was a wise move given the need for the utilities and emergency providers to do their work.
Here we are two weeks after our uninvited guest Irma plowed her way to so many different shores; I’m just beginning to be able to look at NOOA’s reporting of hurricane Maria and her devastation. I have the deepest empathy for all those who have been devastated by her path: Dominica, The Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, have all sustained harm. Knowing what I went through with Irma, it would have been very challenging for me if I knew that I had to bear another hit so soon.
Someone might ask how is it you remain in Florida given it is prone to hurricanes? I admit, while I’m in the middle of preparations I might ask myself the same thing, but soon after the last winds ruffle the trees about; I return to the reason that I moved here almost twenty-five years ago: Seeing blue herons on wing fly over your car as you drive about; sunrises and sunsets that are extraordinary; the bluest of blue skies with the greenest of green trees everywhere you go; flowers that bloom all year long (Hibiscus, geraniums, gardenias, begonias, bougainvillea, and orchids); rainbows that form after a morning rain; and mostly an unmatched sense of freedom that comes with living in a sub-tropical climate.
The season isn’t over yet, but somehow we’ll get through it, sustained by what life is like here on a peninsula that can best be described as "The best place I’ve ever lived, hurricanes included!"
© Copyright 2017 Myra Wexler Darwish: Posted: 9/24/2017
By, Myra Wexler Darwish
The whirlwind known as Irma began stirring in the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa long before she made a landing in my home state of Florida. She cajoled and teased her way through the Atlantic, sending waves of palpable fear to all who were in her path. Those of us who have chosen the beautiful peninsula of Florida to be our home, knew all to well that we had twelve-years of relatively low anticipatory anxiety about a major hurricane reaching our shores. The exception was last year in 2016 when Matthew decided at the last minute not to be a direct hit, perhaps a harbinger of things to come! We became quickly reacquainted with the annual angst that is called “Hurricane Season!” Once you’ve been through several as we have…the memory can be quickly reawakened.
Living in hurricane prone area requires a sense of readiness and acute awareness. Our home was stocked with batteries, storm shutters that we could close by hand, a battery-operated radio for local weather reports and announcements, extra water, ice-packs in the freezer to maintain the chests that would hold any perishables, powdered milk, sufficient propane for our grill, car tanks filled with gas, canned foods, freshly cleaned clothes and linen, written materials that discussed evacuation routes and shelters, and perhaps the most important of all, was for each family to make the decision to stay or evacuate.
We became aware of the earliest reports of Irma’s potential in late August when she was identified as a tropical wave off of the Cape Verde Islands. There was certainly trepidation, as Hurricane Harvey had landed in the Houston area causing severe rain and unrelenting flooding less than a week before. Somehow this wasn’t feeling like a quiet season, and of course that turned out to be true.
We listened intently to NOAA’s (National Oceanic And Atmospheric Center) Hurricane reports: the 8:00 am, 11:00 am, 2:00 pm and so on. These update report times became mandatory listening; we took each twist and turn of Irma’s path to be of great concern. In 2004 and 2005, the state was hit with a slew of hurricanes: Jeanne, Frances, Charlie, and Wilma, each one having its own unique signature. Some were rain-filled events, some stalled, some twisted and turned in loops and seemed more like gymnasts then events of nature, and some shook the leaves from many of the beautiful old-growth trees that are the hallmark of the area we live in. Irma had something different; she had ferocious intensity. Eyebrows were raised when we heard the forecaster say, “She’s now up to a category 5,” wait a minute I thought, didn’t she just come off the African coast about five days ago? Irma made landfall in Barbuda, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Anguilla, the Virgin Islands of Saint Thomas and St. John, and Cuba causing havoc in her wake. Trees were denuded of their leaves, flooding was prominent, roofs battered, homes destroyed, and lives were lost. Just tragic!
We watched the television intently, and all eyes were transfixed on the circulating swath of wind and clouds that made up her cyclonic energy; hearts would temporarily stop, as we knew that Florida was in her path. It doesn’t take long for a near panic to set in: should we stay or go??? Long waits at gas lines, plywood in short supply, water no longer available on the shelves, and the television blaring its list of closings – schools out till??? Shelters open on??? Curfew from 10 pm to 7 am!
Our two sons live in Florida, our youngest in the Naples area, which sustained a near direct, hit due to its closeness to Marco Island, and our older son and his family who live close by. The son in Naples decided to stay, and our other son left to be with friends in another state. We decided to stay! We did every thing we humanly could to put ourselves in a comfortable position, at 74 & 85 years old respectively, we figured we had a lot of expertise between us, which proved to be true. We learned a lot about hurricanes those dreadful hours before Irma struck – her pressure in millibars, how eye walls had their replacement cycles, and how the best forecasters can’t tell exactly where a hurricane will make land, until they actually do. On Saturday, September 10th, Irma landed twice in Florida, first in Cudjoe Key and then on Marco Island; she was so large that both the East & West coasts felt her fury.
We were in our home hunkered down, flashlights and radio ready for use, trying to be as “normal” as we could. We went ahead with our dinner, turned on the television, and waited for the power to go off. It is an eerie feeling being in a darkened home that is completely covered by shutters, but one can become used to it especially when you know it’s for your safety. Thankfully, our son and daughter-in-law who remained in Naples kept in close contact with us for as long as they could via iPhone messaging – they stayed with neighbors who had a two-story home, as they were afraid of potential flooding, which actually turned out not to be so bad in their immediate area.
We wore earplugs when we went to sleep, as the wind and gale and debris falling on the shutters and the sides of our home made it difficult to sleep. I remember looking up at the ceiling when I woke up the next morning to see the ceiling fan still working; we never did lose power, which may be because we are on the same grid as our local utility company. We went through many hours not knowing if our son and daughter-in-law were o.k. The worry is huge: did they lose their roof? What is it like outside once we open the shutters?? How long will the power last?? How did our neighbors fare in the terrible storm??
The post-hurricane anxiety is different than the pre. In the pre-hurricane hours it’s about scurrying about, sometimes frantically to prepare or evacuate as best as you can; in the post it’s the anticipation of all the losses that may have occurred. Both sides of the hurricane demand a lot of an individual; storms can bring out the best and the worst of us! In both the before and the aftermath of Irma the usage of social media when available was an amazing source of support. The local paper created a web page where all in the county could share information with each other: Does anyone know where I can get water? Which shelter can I take my pet to? There’s a neighbor who is alone, can anyone look in on him? I’m anxious, is anyone else feeling the same way? Thank you to a local weatherman who did an outstanding job of keeping everyone informed. I have a newfound respect for the connectivity that social media offered us.
As we emerged from our sheltered cocoon, we realized that our immediate community was spared the worst. Most of us had their power remain with the exception of cable and Internet. Yes, we had a great deal of limb and tree debris, and roof tile damage, but the neighborhood disaster committee did their checks and all residents were deemed to be o.k. It was outside of our neighborhood that we heard many stories of difficult and horrific situations: There were fatalities among the elderly in Long-Term-Care facilities from heat exhaustion; Trees fell on roofs and caused severe damage; millions were without power, and flooding on the East and West coast of the state was severe in places. We were placed under a curfew; something I don’t remember happening before, which was a wise move given the need for the utilities and emergency providers to do their work.
Here we are two weeks after our uninvited guest Irma plowed her way to so many different shores; I’m just beginning to be able to look at NOOA’s reporting of hurricane Maria and her devastation. I have the deepest empathy for all those who have been devastated by her path: Dominica, The Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico, have all sustained harm. Knowing what I went through with Irma, it would have been very challenging for me if I knew that I had to bear another hit so soon.
Someone might ask how is it you remain in Florida given it is prone to hurricanes? I admit, while I’m in the middle of preparations I might ask myself the same thing, but soon after the last winds ruffle the trees about; I return to the reason that I moved here almost twenty-five years ago: Seeing blue herons on wing fly over your car as you drive about; sunrises and sunsets that are extraordinary; the bluest of blue skies with the greenest of green trees everywhere you go; flowers that bloom all year long (Hibiscus, geraniums, gardenias, begonias, bougainvillea, and orchids); rainbows that form after a morning rain; and mostly an unmatched sense of freedom that comes with living in a sub-tropical climate.
The season isn’t over yet, but somehow we’ll get through it, sustained by what life is like here on a peninsula that can best be described as "The best place I’ve ever lived, hurricanes included!"
© Copyright 2017 Myra Wexler Darwish: Posted: 9/24/2017
