Angela Kelsey

Tell the Story

What I Learned Before, During, and After Hurricane Irma

Filed in Stories, voices :: September 25, 2017

My stuff that matters a lot to me fits in a small carry-on.

My stuff that matters a little less to me fits in a small car.

Electricity and air conditioning are luxurious necessities.

Order is calming.

Waiting is hard.

My sister is brave.

Afternoon bourbon is helpful.

Ribs can be cooked on Sterno.

No one wants to leave home, even when a Category 5 storm is coming, even when there is no electricity.

Little kindnesses like cleaning-out-my-freezer casserole shared with a neighbor are appreciated more than usual.

Imminently restored electricity makes a woman want to hug a lineman from Indiana.

Adrenaline crash will kick your ass.

From Mary Oliver’s Upstream:  “All things are meltable, and replaceable. Not at this moment, but soon enough, we are lambs and we are leaves, and we are stars, and the shining, mysterious pond water itself.”

Filed in Stories, voices

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