As I write this, New Orleans, Mississippi, and Alabama are still reeling from Hurricane Katrina and Texas is bracing itself for an unwelcome visit by Hurricane Rita. We Floridians are no strangers to the potential devastation of a hurricane. So these are not fun times for any of us who share the Gulf Coast.
When faced with a storm of such magnitude, you cannot help but be forced to put things in perspective. In pure size, both Katrina and Rita were massive storms, bigger than any of the states they threatened and, in fact, dwarfing even Texas. The power of their winds and rushing water overwhelmed anything mere mortals could devise to stop them. All anyone could do was get out of the way (if possible), wait it out, then go back to see what, if anything, was left to rebuild. It made us, masters of the known universe, seem small indeed.
These storms had a message for everyone, even those of us fortunate enoughat least this timenot to be directly in their paths.
To begin with, they made many of us think about what we would do if we were caught up in the devastation. One day you have a house, a car, a job, a routine
the next, everything you have come to know and to rely on has been swept down the street, literally. How many of us could face such a prospect and have the courage and the fortitude to recover?
But it also gave us another perspective. In the Felix household before Katrina and Rita, many of lifes annoyances would dramatically affect Carol and me: everything from a blown fuse to someone taking the last Diet Coke from the refrigerator. How unfortunate or ill timed such nuisances would seem.
But now, in the aftermath of these hurricanesand realizing that more will come and, like a frustrating game of Russian Roulette, some might turn their frightening power on Floridaweve adopted a new attitude. Our code phrase to invoke is
“No Biggie.”
The cable guy didnt show up for the third time in a row.
No Biggie. Lets turn off the TV and play Canasta.
One of our old pipes sprung a leak and we need to call a plumber?
No Biggie. At least we have fresh water. And its not covering everything we own.
Flat tire?
No Biggie. Lets call the Auto Club and relax. Wherever we had to go, itll be there tomorrow.
I appreciate that we humans have short attention spans, so I know it wont be long before once again I m upset because the pizza is delivered late, or it rains after Ive washed the car, or I spill something on my laptop
But for now, all of those are
No Biggies. No matter what minor irritant befalls me, Im feeling pretty fortunate right now.
Charles Felix, Publisher
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