Post-White River flood: thoughts of tomorrow

It’s 4 a.m. and I am wide awake. Our Ravenswood neighborhood is silent and dark, except for the streetlight’s sad shine. A curious cat crosses through that soft light outside the window – looking for food? Poor thing. I was hungry, too – and ate a banana.

Usually I am asleep at this hour but this morning I have a lot on my mind. Mostly, how hard this all is and will be. Harder still at age 75+.

We are at just past mid-way in the house recovery. Nineteen days ago, it was sitting in river water. Now, it has been stripped of its contents, dried, the walls have been replaced and mudded, new ideas have been imagined and installed. Our kitchen and living room are now one big room. Our bedroom and dressing room/closet are now one big room.

Next, after the walls are sanded smooth, painting can be done – primer and color. Then new flooring. So, maybe four more days? Five? A week? Two?

Can we really be that close to moving back into our house? Bringing our stuff back in – what’s left of it – likely could take as long as repairing the damage did. There is still a whole lot to go through there. And lots of major purchases to be made.

This journey, this very unique set of events that Mrs. K and I are going through right now, is not only a challenge full of difficulties and expense, not merely a transition to new ways of living in our damaged but soon to be renewed home, not even just a remarkable set of lessons about how generous and kind people can be – it is most of all … at 4 a.m., I cannot think of what that might be.

* * *

Later, at 7:30, after a little more sleep, as I sit on the RV stoop with a cup of coffee and watch the sky brighten. I can think more completely, more positively.

It all boils down to this: I love this house. I love the life Donna and I lived in it. While the old version of that was taken any so completely by the flood, tomorrow could just be better than before.

I can’t remember how many songs and poems and speeches I’ve heard that express that very idea – tomorrow is going to be okay! Right now, Fleetwood Mac is playing in my head:

Don’t stop thinkin’ about tomorrow … Don’t stop – it’ll soon be here … It’ll be here better than before … Yesterday’s gone, yesterday’s gone!

Indeed!