I count my blessings and thank Him for keeping me, my friends, and my extended family safe.
We are incredibly fortunate that God spared our home (and lives) from Hurricane Ian’s destruction.
I’ve lived in Florida for nearly 20 years and had my fair share of hurricane near misses, but not even my military combat training compares to what we experienced.
In the Army, I remember patrolling the DMZ in Korea, outfitted with readiness equipment, surrounded by fellow soldiers, clearly prepared for any potential action.
And yet, even after countless training hours with equipment I’d come to know like the back of my hand, when my Commander tasked my unit to go out to the zone for an overnight maneuver, I felt ill-prepared to drive the scout humvee.
I knew the maps and was trained and well-equipped with plenty of backup support, but being out there on the edge of the DMZ in pitch-black darkness tested my confidence.
Beady-eyed with sweaty palms, I white-knuckle drove that humvee, trusting my gut that I was where I was supposed to be (even though in my head, I was like, “What the fuck am I even doing here?”).
I’ve learned there are moments when you gotta listen to the inner voice guiding you.
Intuition is a powerful thing.
I’ve hunkered down for hurricanes in the past, hiding in a closet with my pets and a week’s worth of supplies, feeling my entire home rattle and sway as banshee winds screamed and howled around us.
That time, my intuition told me to stay put, so we did, and thank God, the hurricane passed.
And yet, during another hurricane season, I found myself braving the Sunshine Skyway with my two dogs and cat in my Mazda3 hatchback.
For my non-FL folks, the Sunshine Skyway is a 1200′ long, 430′ tall cable-stayed suspension bridge connecting lower Tampa Bay to St. Petersburg, Florida.
And if you’re wondering, yes, the bridge swayed like crazy. Now, that shit was plenty scary.
Again, my intuition told me to get out of dodge, and I made it over that bridge to safety.
For years, I’ve seen hurricanes and tropical storms go around Sarasota, seemingly protected by ancestral blessings. Yet, at the first mention of Hurricane Ian heading toward the Sarasota-Tampa Bay area, my intuition nudged me that we had to go!
My papa once told me that prayer is you talking to God, and intuition is Him talking back.
Advance preparedness in risky situations is absolutely necessary, but intuition is the special sauce.
We’re blessed to have friends on the east coast who graciously invited us to stay with them during Hurricane Ian. We gathered supplies on Monday and got on the road by Tuesday morning.
We watched nearly every minute of news coverage showing Ian having his way with southwest FL like a spoiled toddler throwing a sugar-induced tantrum.
But unlike a child, there was no dissuading or redirecting Ian.
Ian is the worst natural disaster in Florida since 1921, and the devastation is incomprehensible.
We saw only glimpses of the damage on the drive home Thursday afternoon.
Believe what you see on the news. The destruction is devastating. Some areas of Naples and Ft. Myers may never recover.
In the aftermath, we’ll help our friends and neighbors clean up debris and gather for potluck dinners because it’s times like these that make you appreciate and value what’s important.
I’m so grateful to my darling Mark for trusting my woo-woo ways, packing and unpacking our essentials, and driving us three hours to safety with our 16lb cat in tow.
Unfortunately, we lost a part of the car in transit, but that’s a story for another time.
My heart goes out to those who lost property, cherished belongings, and loved ones to Hurricane Ian. I can’t imagine your pain and am so sorry for your losses. May you find some semblance of peace and comfort in the coming days.
Trust your intuition. When your inner voice whispers (or screams) at you, please listen to it.
