Earth, Air, Fire & Water..... Mercy!

I'm soooo tired.

I feel like such a Debbie Downer these days...  I'm working on happy...  Send me power and I'll do back flips... Ummmm, I'll try.  Well, truthfully I'd love to say I still could, but I'm old now.  Can I get my cat to do it for you instead??

7 full days, no power.  Projected restore date... November 9th.  Bleck!  Honestly and truly, I'm hanging from a very thin thread.  Stressed, but handling it.

Today I have cable... but no power from the lines.  Can I just tell you what a complete suckfest this is?

Since I (thankfully) have the generator, which we only run a few hours a day, and it's my first opportunity to get a glimpse of the outside world.  I'm all over it trying to see what's going on elsewhere.  I'm in shock by just some of what I'm seeing.

It's been a week, so I've missed all that everyone else is seeing, so I guess they're showing less and less.  What I have seen makes me feel so sad, helpless.  My husband sees it.  He works for one of the utility companies - he's out in it & he says every day, "You can't even begin to imagine how much worse it is in other places."

And on the news, the closing line I heard...
It's going to be alright, it's just going to be different.

Wow, ain't that the truth!
Just this past week, I've seen so much change.

I'm in awe of the elements...their fury.

Today was my first day back to work.  Driving out of my town alone is so surreal.  I don't even have words.  I've said before, I live in the woods.  "God's Country" in New Jersey.  North.  Driving down the main road, there is tree after tree totally uprooted and just laying there.  The root system of this tree is enormous - it's amazing that wind could push it down like that.  These massive trees on power lines.  One road looked as if the tornado landed specifically on that road.  No power.  This is nothing.

And this is just the damage from air... wind...

Then there's the water.  Not in my town, thankfully - but for sure in another county of northern New Jersey where the levy broke and took out two towns.  Robbing it's residents of all they own.  All along the coast where the angry ocean claimed the land that was once hers, displacing so many.  Wiping out a long loved vacation area.  Sending other ocean fed rivers and bodies of waters over their banks to meet the other side to join with her.  Taking with her all that stands in her path.

Today, in the very early morning hours there was an earthquake measuring 2.0 - small, but another lashing out of our earth against it's inhabitants.  That, less than 20 miles from my home.

I hesitate to call out Fire.

I shudder to think, knowing that there is yet another Nor'easter headed our way on Wednesday the 7th.

This past week has been a challenge.  It's been a challenge of wills, emotion and character.  It's shown you shock and awe, as well as basic human nature coming to fruition - whether for good or bad.  It's brought out the best and the worst in people.  The people who will do for others whatever they can and those only looking out for themselves.  And it continues.

As I continue to write this, I can only hope that I've shown positive character and example.  That I've done all I can.  As stretched as I am, I know that I am blessed.

Bent, but not broken - shaken but not shattered.

I end this entry with yet another quote from the news... from someone who is much worse off than I...  "I've lost every material possession I own - but at least I'm alive."

How's that for perspective?

Love your life and those in it.

I love you all, every single solitary one of you.

Thank you for reading my blog!

~Jenn

If it is on your heart, please check out this link to help those in need here in New Jersey:  https://sandynjrelieffund.org/index.html