The destructive wrath of Isaias could be felt throughout our entire area. The lack of power and downed live wires and trees forced me to temporarily seek safe shelter elsewhere. After nearly an hour and a half of searching for a hotel room and repeatedly hearing, “we are sold out”, I finally had a place to go.
I quickly packed a small bag of essential items with only the light of my emergency lantern guiding me from room to room and down the stairs. I knew getting to my destination would prove challenging with so many road closures, but I was determined. Within minutes of getting into my car, I had hit my first obstacle. The road that I was accustomed to traveling was blocked by a fallen tree trunk and oversized branches. I twisted and turned down street after street to find myself starting at where my journey originally began. After nearly another hour, I was able to navigate my way out of the slippery, green and muddy brown maze.
Since Covid became the villian of 2020, I stayed independently quiet and safe for six months. Now being forced to venture out, I truthfully didn’t know how I would feel about sleeping in a hotel room.
As I walked into the lobby, the overall feeling was very familiar, but eerily different at the same time. The area that was once so warm and inviting to the public, was now closed to all guests. There was no food available due to the state’s legal restrictions, but I was provided with a selection of restaurants that were open for delivery. After numerous attempts, I had hit my second obstacle. None of the restaurants were delivering, but I had remembered that buried deep inside my work tote, I had a single pack of chocolate M & M’s that satiated not only my taste buds, but my grumbling stomach as well.
As I scanned the room to settle in for the night, I noticed the irony of the prominent brick wall framing the king bed. I wondered if there were any other brick walls that were stopping me from getting to my happy place that I needed to expose. I sat comfortably on the clean and crisp white sheets to think about this in more detail.
I realized that even with clear vision and an articulated destiny, there will always be obstacles. Grace, gratitude and strength in clearing these obstructions, can enrich our lives ten-fold. We are never promised another day, but tonight, I am especially grateful for the opportunity to sleep in a cool room and the ability to have overhead light to write. The challenges of tomorrow, whatever they may be, will be met head on, with a vibrant and positive energy.