Quality Content Writers Group
Habitatus Interuptus
by David Schupbach
David Schupbach 
Saturday Night was Interesting to say the least!
The same storm system that killed 21 people in Missouri and Oklahoma, and several in Arkansas, eventually found it's way eastward to Mississippi.
About 2am sunday morning it grazed our house lifting the roof and ceiling, allowing gallons of rainwater to pour in. It also dropped the front porch which wraps around 2 sides of the house.
We were fortunate however, in that no one was harmed, the house is still standing, and Karen's brother John is a contractor. He and his crew got the roof and porch mostly repaired by yesterday evening.
So now we are sorting through the interior damage, ordering new flooring, and looking to see what survived and what didn't. I am afraid my $3,000 Mitsubishi wide screen TV may have drowned, as it was directly beneath the largest stream of water pouring through the ceiling. However, insurance will replace all these things. The irreplaceable things, our lives, are still intact!
I have done a lot of thinking in the days since this all happened, and have wondered.... Was this a bad experience or a good one?
Most people would describe it as an 'awful' experience, but I have been considering an alternative perspective.
To illustrate, let me use an old chinese proverb about the poor farmer and his son, who had one horse:
One night while the farmer and his son were sleeping, the horse broke out of the corral and ran away.
The next day, the neighbor came by to console the farmer regarding his misfortune. Wisely, the farmer replied: "Yes, but who knows what is good, and what is bad?"
Oddly enough, the next day the horse returned, leading with it 3 wild horses! The farmer and his son now had 4 horses! The same neighbor rushed over, this time to congratulate his friend on his good fortune! After he subsided, the wise farmer merely replied, "Yes, but who knows what is good, and what is bad?"
The following day, while trying to break one of the wild horses to ride, the farmer's son was thrown to the ground, breaking his leg. Again the neighbor returned, bemoaning his friend's misfortune! "It is so terrible, you will never be able to harvest your crop by yourself!" The farmer's reply was still the same: "Yes, but who knows what is good, and what is bad?"
The next morning, the army passed by conscripting young men to fill their ranks, and excused the farmer's son because of his broken leg. When the neighbor appeared breathing exclamations of relief for his friend's good fortune, the answer was still the same: "Yes, but who knows what is good, and what is bad?"
Where does the story end?
Yes we were traumatized, had to spend 3 nights in a motel, and had major structural and interior damage to our residence.
But also, our lives were spared, our awareness of how much we love each other, and our family was deepened, we are getting a new interior and nicer porch for the front of the house, and new roofing!
But to me, the best part is the personal enrichment and growth that comes with another one of life's experiences, deepening my awareness and understanding of reality in all it's infinite permutations.
C'est La Vie Mon Ami!
David
May 15th 2008 11:11
Saturday Night was Interesting to say the least!
The same storm system that killed 21 people in Missouri and Oklahoma, and several in Arkansas, eventually found it's way eastward to Mississippi.
About 2am sunday morning it grazed our house lifting the roof and ceiling, allowing gallons of rainwater to pour in. It also dropped the front porch which wraps around 2 sides of the house.
We were fortunate however, in that no one was harmed, the house is still standing, and Karen's brother John is a contractor. He and his crew got the roof and porch mostly repaired by yesterday evening.
So now we are sorting through the interior damage, ordering new flooring, and looking to see what survived and what didn't. I am afraid my $3,000 Mitsubishi wide screen TV may have drowned, as it was directly beneath the largest stream of water pouring through the ceiling. However, insurance will replace all these things. The irreplaceable things, our lives, are still intact!
I have done a lot of thinking in the days since this all happened, and have wondered.... Was this a bad experience or a good one?
Most people would describe it as an 'awful' experience, but I have been considering an alternative perspective.
To illustrate, let me use an old chinese proverb about the poor farmer and his son, who had one horse:
One night while the farmer and his son were sleeping, the horse broke out of the corral and ran away.
The next day, the neighbor came by to console the farmer regarding his misfortune. Wisely, the farmer replied: "Yes, but who knows what is good, and what is bad?"
Oddly enough, the next day the horse returned, leading with it 3 wild horses! The farmer and his son now had 4 horses! The same neighbor rushed over, this time to congratulate his friend on his good fortune! After he subsided, the wise farmer merely replied, "Yes, but who knows what is good, and what is bad?"
The following day, while trying to break one of the wild horses to ride, the farmer's son was thrown to the ground, breaking his leg. Again the neighbor returned, bemoaning his friend's misfortune! "It is so terrible, you will never be able to harvest your crop by yourself!" The farmer's reply was still the same: "Yes, but who knows what is good, and what is bad?"
The next morning, the army passed by conscripting young men to fill their ranks, and excused the farmer's son because of his broken leg. When the neighbor appeared breathing exclamations of relief for his friend's good fortune, the answer was still the same: "Yes, but who knows what is good, and what is bad?"
Where does the story end?
Yes we were traumatized, had to spend 3 nights in a motel, and had major structural and interior damage to our residence.
But also, our lives were spared, our awareness of how much we love each other, and our family was deepened, we are getting a new interior and nicer porch for the front of the house, and new roofing!
But to me, the best part is the personal enrichment and growth that comes with another one of life's experiences, deepening my awareness and understanding of reality in all it's infinite permutations.
C'est La Vie Mon Ami!
David
May 15th 2008 11:11
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Comments
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Arthur Webster
Just plain honestyHi, David, I can tell you from a life time of experiences - there is no such thing as a bad experience! An experience of any kind shows that you are alive and retain some resilience. It also gives you an unparalleled opportunity to learn something new about yourself and your priorities. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. May 15th 2008 12:53 |
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David Schupbach
Well said Arthur! Actually, that's what I was trying to say all along! May 15th 2008 15:56 |
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Jean DAndrea
RetiredThat must have been a frightening experience David, but you and your family came through, and that's the most important thing, as you say. Glad to hear you're ok! :-) May 15th 2008 17:16 |
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Mark Hultgren
Wordpress SpecialistGlad to hear that you and yours are all safe and sound. Sometimes it may seem difficult to find the silver lining and the storm clouds, but they are always there, you just have to have 'eyes that can see beyond what is staring you in the face' May 15th 2008 20:30 |
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David Schupbach
Thanks Jean, and Mark! Another Blessing that I didn't mention is the wonderful friends I have, both offline and on! May 16th 2008 06:30 |
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Cheryl Baumgartner
  Medical Billing/Coding/InsuranceIt's true that you do discover who your friends are. And as a veteran of hurricanes (Opal, Ivan, Dennis to name a few)I can say that one of those unforeseen blessings of the weather related disasters is the sense of community it brings out. Neighbors who have never even waved at each other before suddenly find themselves working together to clean up the mess and restore the neighborhood. May 16th 2008 08:25 |
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David Schupbach
Cheryl, I too find it amazing that their is a basic human instinct towards goodness that comes out at times like this. Too bad that it takes trauma to jog our memory of our basic humanity, but I guess disasters and 'bad' experiences are like fertilizer... it smells bad, but it sure makes the roses grow! May 17th 2008 05:10 |
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Cheryl Baumgartner
Medical Billing/Coding/InsuranceYes it does seem to work that way. I still remember after Ivan which was an extremely destructive storm. Neighbors having an "after hurricane" party. Everyone cleaned out the freezers and broke out the grills. The guys pulled out the chainsaws and began cutting up and stacking downed tree limbs. Those who had land line phones (not cordless) opened their homes and long distance bill to others so they could contact out of state family and let them know that they were alright. Everyone pitched in and picked up debris off of the streets and that night we all had a monster "Cookout" to celebrate the fact that the damage in the neighborhood was minimal and no one got hurt. Unfortunately within a week it was back to the status quo for most May 17th 2008 08:39 |
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Not Here
 just want my account deletedThe story never ends....Glad your still kickin D! May 18th 2008 00:59 |
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David Schupbach
Thanks Garnet! Yeah, still kickin it! Cheryl, that time of year is coming around again, wonder what we will have this year? May 18th 2008 05:05 |
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Cheryl Baumgartner
Medical Billing/Coding/InsuranceAt least I moved to a less volatile area. Even when we do get something here we are so far inland that it's nothing more than a tropical depression. May 18th 2008 08:32 |
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David Schupbach
Tropical Depression? That sounds like a good subject for the depression group... heh May 18th 2008 17:12 |
David,
I do thank God that you and your family were spared. That is the worst case scenario. Possessions can be repaired or replaced while lives cannot. And no matter how "bad" something may be it can always be worse.
May 15th 2008 11:53