When school closed down Thursday morning for Hurricane Matthew, I really didn’t think much of it. I really thought it was going to be another storm passing by and that was it. I guess because living in South Georgia, an hour away from the coast, a hurricane is not something I get nervous about much.
The most I have seen with a Hurricane is a whole lot of rain and annoying gnats and love bugs the next day. When I got home, everything was the same. Dad was dad. Mom was mom. Dogs were dogs. It just look like the usual timeframe every time I go home. I come home, go to work, come home. Next day: Go to work, come home and head back to another stress-filled week of school, but in the midst of Hurricane Matthew, I found something different.
Hurricane Matthew was the worst I have seen of a hurricane. Over 60 hours without power, trees and power lines knocked down into the neighbor’s cars and houses, little resources to obtain food and water, but despite all those issues, I learned something about myself.
During the time frame without power, I spent a lot of time with my mother, which I barely get a chance to. We would sent and talk about a lot of things, even watched episodes of The Cosby Show on our laptops (Thank you generator), and even though she may not have noticed it, I loved every minute of it. I don’t remember the last time my mom and I just chilled or me having long conversations with her or my grandma on the phone for over 30 minutes. I don’t remember the last time I got a life lesson from my father or took a walk outside without worrying about who is going to call or text me.
College had me so consumed with school work and stress that I forgot about the little things that make me smile or the reasons I am who I am. Yes college is the main goal and I am working to finish it, but it takes away the little things that matter most. It takes away from people appreciating the beauty surrounding us.
Although Hurricane Matthew did its damaged, I am forever grateful for it. It taught me that although I am working hard to finish this last year of school, I need to stop, look around and love on the little things.