And the Floors Will be REALLY Clean…

Just when you think you have gotten in the groove, an emergency happens and panic ensues. Yesterday one of our water heaters burst (again!) and our studios and gallery were flooded with three inches of water! OMG!!!! Just as my husband and I were feeling like we could move forward and manage ALL we want to do in this new year, there had to be water…water, water every where and not a drop to drink!

You may recognize this text as a portion of the poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. It communicates exactly how we felt as we walked through the ripples of water, grabbing things to get them out of the fray. Less than two hours later a remediation team showed up, suction tools started, fans were employed, and the clean up has begun. Thank the Lord for fabulous insurance! It will be weeks before we are back in business, and the good news is the floors will be REALLY clean for the new year! (And yes I am chuckling as I wrote that line!)

Oh, how awful it feels when the rug – literally – gets pulled out from under our grand plans and bold ideas. Panic ensues, anger and frustration take over, that feeling of helplessness becomes your constant companion, and the list of to do items has just grown exponentially! If you had any sense of being overwhelmed before the panic, it has now grown to monstrous proportions. Fatal thoughts of never being able to get ahead of the flood (pun intended) your mind and your emotions just shut down. Then you get wise and ask for help. We called the insurance company, I texted dear friends to pray, and the process to get back to “normal” has begun. Twenty-four hours later it is still an awful, horrible mess…yet now it is manageable.

How do you react when terrible things happen? If you are like us, you instantly go to the feeling of being over your head with no idea how to start. After that initial fear, sadness and panic are contained, you get smart and ask for help. Believe me, I actually slept pretty good last night AND am grateful for people who do what I cannot, insurance that covers it all, and people who have texted today to check and see how they can help. We ALL need other people. We all at one point or another in life need help. AND we need to allow ourselves to be overwhelmed, cry, scream, and then reach out for others to employ their skills and kindness….whew! It can be overwhelming to be an adult. Sometimes the ride is more than any of us can bear.

So today as the industrial fans are blowing, the base boards are all removed while walls are being dried out, the rugs are bundled and ready to be sent out to be cleaned, and there is some semblance of a plan to get back to “normal”…today I do not feel like there is no end to this madness that is adulthood. Today, with help, I know we will get through this adventure. Tragedy is all about perspective. It takes time, yet there is a better way beyond today’s challenge…it just takes time! We will clean up, clear out, repair, replace and give thanks…and the floors will be REALLY clean for the rest of the year.