They say, everything happens for a reason. I don't know who "they" are, but I've questioned them a lot. What the heck do "they" know, anyway? Who are they, and what makes them so smart? Well. . . . I guess they know more than I give them credit for sometimes, as hard as that might be for me to admit.
I know I've blogged a lot about the tornado, but it's had a big impact on my life. We're moving on, and getting back to normal, so to speak, but there are still days when I look at how different our place, and our neighborhood is now, that I wonder why something like this happened. I know it's just one of those things - bad things happen to people, and most of the time, we find no rhyme or reason for it. "Stuff happens," as the saying goes. You take it on the chin, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go on. Life knocks you on your rear end sometimes, but you deal with it.
But. . . . . there are things that have happened as a direct result of the tornado that wouldn't have happened otherwise, and I am very thankful for that. If not for the tornado, I wouldn't have gotten to know some of my neighbors as well as I know them now. Like the Comers, who I've talked to in the past, but never really talked to, if you know what I mean. They are awesome people - very down to earth, and good people. And my neighbor Miranda, who is as good, and nice a person as I've ever met. She lived a quarter mile down the road from me for several years, and I had talked to her all of once, in all that time. I've found I really enjoy talking to her, and have more in common with her than I would have imagined. We both have a penchant for muscle cars, and photography, and we both have the same soft spot in our hearts for our state, and our community. We both also seem to enjoy blogging, although I think Miranda is much better with the written word than I am. As a matter of fact, if you've read my earlier blogs, she's the one who inspired me to get started. I'm glad I've gotten to know some of my neighbors better. They're truly good people, and I've missed that all these years.
Also as a result of the tornado, I've somehow become a more patient, and understanding person. I don't know where this new-found patience came from, but I think I kind of like it. I tend to think before I speak these days, instead of just flying off the handle - a thing I've been very good at over the years. I'm not saying I don't still have my melt-down moments, but not like before. I've learned to be more accepting of people who, for some reason, I had no tolerance for in the past. I've learned that there are a lot of good people around me, if I'd just take the time to get to know them a little bit. Things, and people aren't always as they first appear, and first impressions can really be deceiving. Just because someone is different than you, certainly doesn't make them less. We need to take more time to really get to know someone before we start judging them. Shame on me for doing that.
I've become closer to my family since the storms. There's nothing quite like huddling in your storm shelter, knowing your son is across the way, sitting all alone in his. Pretty scary stuff, and definitely not something I want to do again. I said a lot of prayers while in the cellar that day, and I have to say, all of them were answered. EVERY.SINGLE.ONE. In spite of all the damage, I still have everyone, and everything around me that really matters. God blessed me more that day than the storms damaged me, that's for sure.
Other things have happened since the storms that wouldn't have happened otherwise. When Cimarex sent the crew out here to help us with clean up, those guys were so cool, and so nice, and so awesome. They helped do things they didn't have to do, like clean out our pond, and rebuild the dam. There's just no way we would have ever had the money to get that done, and get it done as well as what they did. They listened when I told them "I'd really like to keep that tree, if possible," and didn't just go willy nilly through the canyons knocking things down. They understood how much it hurt to see all those trees go, and how much it meant to us to keep the one's we could. They went above, and beyond, and I thank them so much for that. They'll never know how much they contributed to our being able to move forward, and have some peace of mind.
So, maybe "they" know what they're talking about after all, especially when they say, everything happens for a reason. It's pretty sad to think it took nearly being blown off the planet to make me realize this. I guess you really can teach an old dog a new trick. That's what "they" say, right?
