I heard musician Jon Batiste say recently “The moment calls for what it calls for. And you can’t really dictate what the moment calls for based on your preparation.” I’m pretty sure he wasn’t directly talking about navigating a weather disaster, but his statement could not be truer of the moments we’ve been living. No one was truly prepared for Helene, and yet somehow, we are rising up to what the moment calls for.
It’s not quite time to move on yet. As I was considering this week’s blog, I first thought I had said everything I was going to say about the aftermath of Helene. Then I looked around and realized that the waves keep coming.
In my last piece, I said: “If this monster flood was a wave, we did our best to ride it every day, not because it was fun, but because it was necessary.”
I’m going to rephrase that: “We ARE doing our best to ride it every day, not because it is fun, but because it is necessary.”
In other words, life is present tense and that’s the only place I’m living at the moment. Doing so has enormous benefits, and it can feel unsettling at the same time.
Too many times to be mere coincidence, I’ve been at the exact right place at the exact right time. On Day 2 after the storm, Jen and I got in the old pickup to make our way through the downed trees and power lines in search of a cell signal, and perhaps to pick up some things at the store. We hadn’t gotten far from our house when I realized that I had left my cell phone and billfold behind. Really? Not like me at all – and yet I didn’t blink. We had to turn around.
Jen waited in the truck while I went in to get the phone and billfold. As I came out of the house, I noticed a car had parked by our driveway. At first, my inner alarm bells went off – traffic had become a rare sight. Then I realized it was a friend who had braved the questionable roads to check on us when he couldn’t reach us by phone. We caught up with each other, relieved to know that everyone was ok.
It was when we started back down the road that I had a huge moment of gratitude for forgetting my things, realizing that the delay had put us in the right place at the right time. I also had deep gratitude for the silence between my ears, which I will expand upon below.
Last week, I attended my third Journey On Podcast Summit. You may remember me writing about this before. In 2022, I said this about the first Summit: “If your first thought is “I’m not a horse person”, this wasn’t a horse conference. This was a “come out from behind your walls to be the best human possible conference.”
Horses live in the present moment; we humans rarely do. As I continue to dive deeper into the principles I wrote about in Dancing the Tightrope, I’m experiencing more and more moments WHILE the moments are happening. There was no better place to practice than at the Summit. It was easy to get carried away with the hustle and bustle of it all, the new people I wanted to meet and the old friends I couldn’t wait to spend time with. One of my favorite parts is the breakfast scene, where we all converge to eat and have deep solve-all-worlds-problems conversations.
One morning, I came down to breakfast and the hotel didn’t have the breakfast out yet – and no one was hanging around. My first thought started to fire up the itty bitty shitty committee, and noise of it was unbearable. Yet I could see it for the useless chatter it was and let it go. I took a breath and asked myself what the right move was. In that moment, I could see that the possibilities were endless...and one move inexplicably drew me in. I rode the wave over to the diner I had discovered on the first day and laughed to myself, because this was exactly the opposite of what I had pictured my morning would be.
The dining room was empty, so I sat down, ordered breakfast, and read the news on my phone. I enjoyed every bite of the delicious eggs, gravy and potatoes. Soon, a group from the Summit came and joined me. We had the BEST conversations and I noticed that this was exactly my hope for the morning, only happening in a different place that I had expected.
In these two moments – and in so many more – I’m riding the wave by letting go of the outcome and feeling in to what the moment calls for. During the deeply uncertain days following the storm, we had little choice. We never knew what the next moment would bring.
In that way, I hope we never move on from the living-in-the-moment way of being. We will continue to pick up the pieces and wash off the mud and wait for the road to be rebuilt. But it’s not about getting it done.
It’s about riding the waves as they come.
You may still be standing by, wondering how you can help. Thank you – we need it, because this recovery will take a LONG time.
In answer to the question I’m still getting several times a day, I have three suggestions for where to offer your financial help (and perhaps also receive some help if you need it.)
R.E.I.N. Rescue: REIN continues to take several loads a week of donations for harder hit areas north of Asheville, while rescuing horses and offering programs to help people help themselves through stressful times. You can make donations by going to https://www.reinrescue.org/ and clicking the red DONATE NOW button in the right corner. While you are there, watch the 3-minute video on how REIN Rescue came to be. Joy Baker has been doing an incredible job helping horses find the perfect home, while also helping people as well. REIN is the ONLY place I’m also recommending hard goods, as most other sites are turning away donations. You can see part of the list here:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=122169206330114002&set=pcb.122169206366114002
Forca Foundation: My friend Tammy Tappan, through the Forca Foundation, has launched an emergency campaign to provide immediate relief to the families devastated by the storm. Here’s an update on one of the families they have been helping: “I got the pleasure of meeting the Jackson family this week and to share the news that through the generous donations received at Forca, we are able to help them rebuild their home. We have also partnered with the Rosemary Farm who is organizing donations of saddles, bridles, saddle pads, helmets etc to help get the Jackson's business, Riverside Riding Stables up and running again. It's amazing to see the power that can come from friends helping friends.” I truly believe in their mission, as they are boots on the ground with the effort, making sure that families in the Lake Lure/Chimney Rock area who need it most will get the help they need. Text NCSTRONG to 53555 to donate.
The Lake Lure Police Department: Russ and I have been long time supporters of our local police department. In normal times, they do heroic things. During THESE times, they've been extraordinary. Town Hall, where they have their offices, was damaged in the flooding. They also lost several cars in the flooding. They have been out every day of this event doing their normal jobs and so much more. If you have ever been in a disaster zone, you understand how important it is to keep everyone safe, and these guys are doing it! You can make donations by writing a check to Lake Lure Police Department, P.O. Box 195, Lake Lure, NC 28746.
If you are interested in volunteering, both REIN Rescue and Forca Foundation have needs that can use your skills! Reach out to me and I will get you in touch.