2017 Life Logs, Day 281: Trust the Wait
Date: Sunday, October 8, 2017
Weather: Rainy and Windy; High 75, Low 64 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Studio, Falmouth, MA
I still don’t know if Justin and Jo received the money that was sent to them Saturday morning via Western Union. Still none of the packages we have sent have arrived. So saying ‘trust the wait’ is difficult. But dear friend, Detta Porat, attended a teacher workshop on Friday about dealing with trauma and she shared what she learned with me. Cassie Yackley, Psy. D., led the workshop. She is committed to understanding and effectively addressing the impact of traumatic/adverse experiences on children, caregivers/families, and systems. So, she should certainly know more than I do about dealing with catastrophic situations. The summary of what she said was that what helps people most survive serious trauma isn’t therapy, as one might suspect. It is the belief in hope. Reading that made me think about Justin and Jo and the way they are trying to spread hope to their children, to their hometown of Rincon, and to the surrounding area, especially hard hit Anasco. To their credit, they innately know what Dr. Yackley has confirmed in her more than 25 years of study. Hope is the key that leads to recovery. The following advice that was shared at the workshop is harder for me to do than the written words imply, but I am trying to subscribe to this.
Trust the wait.
Embrace the uncertainty.
Enjoy the beauty of becoming.
When nothing is certain, anything is possible.
mindsetofgreatness
In a bit of hopeful news, I learned from Mark’s brother Steve in Florida that “The Federal Communications Commission has given Google approval to deploy its Project Loon balloon-based communications system to provide cellular connectivity in hurricane-damaged Puerto Rico.” The FCC chairman said on Saturday that “More than two weeks after Hurricane Maria struck, millions of Puerto Ricans are still without access to much-needed communications services. That’s why we need to take innovative approaches to help restore connectivity on the island. Project Loon is one such approach.” A Google spokesperson expressed appreciation to the FCC and Puerto Rican authorities for their support in this effort and I will most certainly appreciate it if this happens. But the next step is to get wireless companies on board and Google reports that those negotiations are underway. Let’s hope the wireless carriers cooperate. Evidently Facebook is also working on an emergency communications effort through AT&T and T-mobile. I don’t care who does it, I would just be so happy if there was some way to communicate.
Last night I promised to share my ideas for how to best help Justin and Jo and their neighbors in Rincon. But I was too busy today shopping for more specific items that are needed there, and just didn’t have the time to completely organize all of the information. So that will have to wait one more night. In the meantime, let’s all remain hopeful that the positive energy that many of us our sending to the people of Puerto Rico is really going to make a difference. I see evidence that it is already making an impact.
