I apologize for having to take a couple of days off. We had some really severe storms roll across the state of Iowa three days ago that wiped out our electricity until a few short hours ago. This whole near-disaster was a lesson in gratitude, appreciation, acceptance and love. Oddly enough, I’m actually happier tonight than I was before this thing hit.

Another thing that belayed my posting is my bosses were “sitting in” with us. All it really meant was a lot of long, very boring meetings about the stock market and why we should watch it. Which is hilariously pointless given I work overnight and it has absosmurfly nothing to do with our jobs. And even more ironic given that they’ve already said they’re cutting our jobs. I think they’re just trying to figure out which ones they want to keep. (Like it’s not already bloody obvious?) Again, I’m just laughing at the whole stupid thing. But in the interest of decorum, I tried to stay somewhat present and not post from work.

So, two nights of working with the clown and pony show followed by two days of coming home and trying to sleep with no air conditioning. I stayed surprisingly calm and centered through the whole experience. Our power came back on and my family was super excited. I’m just as calm as I was when it went off. Why?

Again, I’ve been practicing Presence. It’s one of the Six Habits created by Laura DiBenedetto. I know I shamelessly plug the book and the program a lot, but it has done wonders for my state of mind and spiritual well-being. This latest disaster is another example. I’ve really been digging back into my habits lately.

The other morning I noticed how quiet it was. Now, my neighbor’s genny ran non-stop, plus all the chainsaws and traffic out there along with the occasional police/fire sirens. How is this quiet?

Simple. No TV, no Internet, no phone (trying to save on the battery,) and the kids weren’t all up yet. I would bet 200 years ago, this site I’m living on would have been beyond peaceful. As it is now, just listening out the window is pure joy. Even tonight as I listen to traffic and crickets. It’s easy listening for the quiet mind.

I want to end this post with a gratitude list. I won’t go into all 25, but just the highlights I have realized over the last few days.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR: The dedicated people who worked super hard to clean up this mess. Having refrigeration. An opportunity to clean out my fridge. Air conditioning. Trees. Wind. Rain. Fresh Salads. Warm Pizza. Popcorn. Time with the kids. Having everyone safe after a weather disaster. Having a car that runs. Being able to charge all of our various electronics. A chance to get my wiring projects caught up in the house. (Power was out, so may as well, right?) Cold beverages. Last for now, Gaia. And God.

As I’ve been saying, Gaia smacked us and God saved us. That’s pretty much what happened. But the greatest gift from ALL of it, are the lessons learned and gifts we can appreciate. So, thank you, Universe, for again showing us all the marvelous experiences we can have here on Earth. Thank you!