I live on the island of Kauai, HI – a tropical paradise highlighted by majestic mountains, magical rainbows & waterfalls and of course, surrounded by the crystal blue Pacific Ocean.
On the evening of March 3rd, it started to rain here – not an unusual event at this time of year.
What was unusual was the severe, continuous downpour that continued for several days thereafter and wreaked havoc on the beautiful Garden Island.
Each time it seemed there would be a break in the weather, Mother Nature changed her mind and heavy rains returned . . . a mudslide happened . . . a power line or tree went down and closed a road.
Such destruction had not been seen on the island in more than 20 (some say 25) years.
What serves as my inspiration for this post is the “aloha spirit” – a spirit I’ve repeatedly seen during times of need on Kaua`i. It’s social networking at its best.
Everyone here rallies in an effort to help one another. Be it someone who is ill and needs financial assistance (so the community holds a fundraiser) to those, like me, who end up displaced from their home due to flooding.
Friends came to assist me, make sure I was safe and accommodate me in their own home. At a time that one might panic, others did their best to remain calm, assess the situation and do the best they could to help given the circumstances.
Web designer Jennifer Bourn once wrote this in one of her past blogs, “We all hit bumps in the road and while at first the outlook may be grim, when we take a deep breath and look at the big picture there is usually a silver lining that leads to bigger and better things.”
While things looked grim for the last 9 days on Kaua`i, the silver lining was a sense of community that rang loud and clear – especially on the north shore, where I live – not to mention, the awesome waterfalls that now grace the mountains that overlook Hanalei.
When you’ve hit a bump in the road what was the silver lining revealed to you? Please share it in the comments section below. I’d love to hear from you.
Stay safe & dry.
