Today I’m working from home. Next to my desk is Otto. I wonder what is going through his mind. I project: he’s enjoying watching the rain fall. He’s watching the trees in the park negotiate their survival with the wind.
Wow.
A moment.
Then [turn your sound on] sirens blur. One of the many emergency vehicles that have gone past our house the last couple of days.
I’ve lost cost on the number of times and vehicles I’ve seen and heard today. Every hour has been punctuated by their shrill. The sirens to remind me how privileged I am.
The sirens remind me that across the road are people whose houses were ripped open from the top by the violent winds. The destruction is not just the flooded roads and broken infrastructure.
Lives have been upended by this storm in ways I cannot relate to.
I am privileged. I am warm. I am sheltered. I ate food I chose for lunch. I get to do work I believe in and enjoy, and for my safety was told I could shelter in place.
Note to Self: Not only should I be grateful for what I have, I must remember to love my neighbour.