Sandy

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NJ – OCTOBER 31: Waves break in front of a destroyed roller coaster wrecked by Superstorm Sandy on October 31, 2012 in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. At least 50 people were reportedly killed in the U.S. by Sandy with New Jersey suffering massive damage and power outages. (Image credit: Getty Images via @daylife)

Quite a week in NYC.  First let me just say this:  My wife and I were barely impacted.  The truth is we lost power for 5 days, but only lost water for a day or so, and suffered no damage to our personal property nor were we personally harmed.  Really our impact was minimal, other than no cell service, limited internet, and lots of darkness for a week.  But I’ll be honest: I feel different this week.

It’s definitely clichéd but I feel grateful for the extended, distraction free time I was able to spend with her.  It was great to just be with her without the tv, or our iPhones standing between us.  Why does it take extraordinary circumstances to be reminded of this?

But I feel heavy heading into the work week.  I’m not sure what it is exactly, but it feels like I want to do more to help people.  Perhaps it is some guilt associated with the minimal impact while seeing the pain of others, but I suddenly feel like the “important” things I was working on no longer feel that important.  I guess being forced to step away from work, and to see so many have their lives drastically flipped upside down has led me back to my old, comfortable, favorite questions: “What am I really trying to do with my life? Am I looking to just be here, or do I want to help make the world a better place?”