Stupid Hurricane

Does anyone remember me pontificating about anniversary dates not too long ago? Yep! I'm so aware of what's going on that I flat out got blind-sided when I realized that I've been muddling around in a fog for the last couple of weeks (at least).

Along about Friday, I began to realize that I was feeling this really weird distance from everyone - friends, co-workers, members of my congregation, even 'honorable enemies' (who disagree vehemently on most things but we interact respectfully). Ability to concentrate? HAH! If it was longer than a short paragraph, I couldn't read it, which really makes reading the newspaper difficult, much less the research I have to do each week to come up with a sermon. If I did manage to read it, it didn't make any sense. Makes holding coherent conversations a challenge too.

The hardest thing was this sense that there was an invisible wall between me and others. Now the reality is that I do sometimes isolate myself. Being an introvert, 'alone time' is essential to recharging the emotional batteries. However, I occasionally pull into my shell and don't make much contact with others. Not good. And that darned invisible wall was setting me up for some real isolation!

The good news is that I did finally realize what was happening. Stupid hurricane!! At some level, it was much like the way I felt in the week after the storm - stunned, lost, bewildered, in shock, uncertain of where people were or how to find them. I'm not going to let some stupid hurricane get the better of me, though.

Since Friday, I've been working slowly to reconnect with society, and I've managed to regain some of the concentration that went AWOL. It's a process and I'm aware of that. In the meantime, if you catch me wandering around muttering to myself, just say "Hello!" and remind me that this too shall pass. .... *drifts away from the keyboard with 'stupid hurricane' comments wafting along behind* ....