What a hurricane (or himmicane) can teach you about life

This past weekend, the east coast of the U.S. experienced a Category 1 hurricane.  I've always wondered why these destructive weather phenomena have to be named after women...

Having been raised on the Gulf Coast of Texas, I, surprisingly, never went through a hurricane.  That all changed when I moved to Orlando, FL.  Little did I know that 2004 would be "the year of the hurricanes" for Florida.

I was speaking in New York at the DMA awards luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria hotel just as Florida started receiving warnings that a Cat 3 hurricane was headed straight to the west coast of the state with a projected path that moved it up Interstate 4 and through metro Orlando.  Fortunately, I was able to get out of NYC and into Orlando a day prior to landfall.  My husband was in Phoenix, so I would be going this first hurricane of my life, as the adult in charge of a 13 year old, a dog and two cats.

We had water, food, candles, matches and all the other required "Home Depot is going to sell out of this" items needed to survive the storm.  It was scary, but we survived with very minor damage to our home/yard.

Maybe hurricanes can teach us lessons:

1)  Always be prepared.  It doesn't matter if it is a physical storm, a spiritual storm, or an emotional storm.  Life throws storms our way often and sometimes they come with dynamics that we don't think we'll live through.  You will if you are prepared.

2)  Stay calm through the storm.  Sure, I had to put the teenager and all the pets in a small bathroom when the patio slider starting shaking due to high winds, but we all remained calm (OK, the cats were freaking out a bit) and the high winds passed.  Had I panicked or thought, "Hey, it's OK to stand here and watch this slider shake," we might not have fared so well.

3)  You've got to clean up after the storm passes.  While our damage was minimal compared to many in the Orlando area, we still had branches down, a few shingles blown off, all the pool furniture to retrieve out of the pool and some water seeping in.  Just like any catastrophe that blows into our life, you've got to pick up the pieces, shake off the hurts eventually and move on 'cause another storm may be brewing.

There were two more hurricanes that passed through the Orlando area in 2004 (and we had the plywood window coverings with the storm names on them to prove it), but they didn't seem so frightening.  Why? Because I had already been through one and knew to be prepared, to stay calm and to clean up afterwards.

How about your storms that might be on the horizon?  Are you prepared to face them?  Will you remain calm?  Will you clean up the mess they cause?

Here's hoping the U.S. is spared any major hurricanes this year and that our friends and family in the NE are helped in their clean up efforts.

Life lessons

After encouragement from several, I've decided to sit down and write a book!  My life in a zip top bag took me on the road a lot and I learned a lot of life lessons.  While it is not completely formulated, the ideas are starting to flow.  Life lessons...they run the gamut from peace to forgiveness to fear.  Stick around and I'll share some.

Retail therapy

Retail therapy--going shopping because you're emotional, bored, it's too hot to be outside or any other reason you need to "just do it".

Yesterday a dear friend and I drove to Houston to pick up her son.  Well wouldn't you know it...we just happened to meet him at the Premium Outlet Mall!  I was thinking to myself, what distinguishes a "premium" outlet mall from a plain, ol' outlet?  Is it just that the outside of the buildings look nicer or is it really that the stores that make up the premium place are that much better?  My conclusion is this:  the premium stores are sometimes higher end (think David Yurman and St John), but they throw in some average stores (think Ann Taylor Loft and Justice) just so all spending levels can feel comfortable.

Linda did some damage to her AMEX, but hey, everything was ON SALE!  I spent exactly $5.62 for a top that was 75% off and I felt pretty darn good about that.  Now that is premium savings!

What I like/dislike about traveling

"'Travel' is the name of a modern disease which became rampant in the mid-fifties and is still spreading. The disease - its scientific name is travelitis furiosus - is carried by a germ called prosperity."
George Mikes.
 
Let's start with the positive before moving to the not-so-positive:

1.  You generally get to where you need to go in a shorter amount of time than driving there.
2.  You see a lot of things you'll never see in your hometown.
3.  You earn frequent flyer miles that you can use for FUN trips!
4.  Your arms get a good workout from lifting your bag(s) in/out of overhead bin.
5.  You can check-in online & save some time at the airport.

OK, not so great things about traveling:

1.  People never learned from their mother that they are to walk on the right hand side of the terminal/hallway/passageway!!  This is my pet peeve and I wish people would learn to stay to the right.
2.  TSA screenings.  Need I say more??
3.  Hours spent in the terminal/on the tarmac when your flight is delayed.  (On a positive note--I was stuck in ATL for 8 hours last year and met some really nice people in the terminal!)
4.  Stinky bathrooms on the airplane.  I know this must be very hard to keep under control, but couldn't they leave some Febreeze in the bathroom or something??
5.  Hotels that put you in the very last room on the very last hallway.  This is not always a problem because I've got "status" with the two big hotel chains, but when you don't have status...speak kindly to the front desk clerk and they might hook you up with a great room.
6.  Being squeezed in a middle seat on the airplane.  See #5 above about "status".  If you've got it with the airline you are traveling on, no problem.  If you don't and you want to get home earlier/check in late, you are going to get what's left over as far as seating (AKA:  the middle seat).

There are many more positives and negatives about traveling.  What's your take?

Happy Tuesday!
Laura

my fav place in the U.S.--Lake Tahoe/Emerald Bay