New Orleans, Louisiana 2005-2008
Please Take a Moment…
I invite you to please take a few moments and sit comfortably in your favorite chair. Please plant your feet firmly on the floor… Feel the texture and warmth of the carpet or the solid feel of the hardwood or tile floor under your feet... Look around your office, work station, or home and really examine the solid construction of the walls, the ceiling, and the floors... Take some time to admire the colorful furniture, pictures, artwork and décor. What is it that you like most about your office, work station, or home?
Now, please take 10 deep belly breaths in and out slowly... I invite you to relax the area around your eyes... Let your eye lids droop a bit... Now relax the muscles of your face… Let your mouth and jaw loosen and your cheeks soften... Continue to breathe in and out slowly and deeply… Again, take a look around your office, work station, or home… How does this space make you feel? Do you see or hear anything different? Maybe you now hear the heater or air conditioner humming… maybe you see the lights flickering… you may hear music or conversations in the back ground…
How do you feel right now? Are you feeling safe...secure…a part of a team… a part of a family….a part of a community… a part of something bigger than you? Do you trust that the air, heat, and lights will work properly? Do you trust that the floor, the walls and the ceiling will do their job and keep you safe?
I now invite you to imagine a very tiny pin size hole in the ceiling…the hole is so very, very, small…It does not pose any alarm to you…It is not a threat to you or the building…It is just a small pin size hole that catches your eye.
Now imagine that very small pin hole begins to drip one drop of water per hour…It is not a threat to you or the building…it is however a slight bother…No one would wants a drip every hour on their desk or furniture.
Now imagine the water is dripping a drop a minute… then a drop a second, then the hole begins to enlarge to the size of a penny…then a nickel…a quarter…a half dollar…a silver dollar…and the water is now coming in as if someone turned on a hose.
Let’s say that you have seen this happen before and you place a large cork in the hole and it stops leaking…You start to dry up the water and you call for assistance from a plumber or roofer…Again, you have seen this before and trust that someone will come and repair the situation…Your office, work station, or home is still comfortable, useable and safe.
Now… imagine that cork flies out with a loud pop that sounds much like the opening of a Champagne bottle top…The water is coming out like a fire hose, the pressure is tremendous and the hole is now the size of a small saucer… Where are the plumber and roofer?
You of course have seen this before…so you shove a pillow up into the hole…put a plate over the hole… and duct tape around the plate…you place a trash can below the pillow and plate and the water stops leaking…You place another call to the plumber and roofer to find out that they are busy fixing saucer size holes in their own offices and homes…You begin to wonder “what is going on?” Your pillow and plate plug is working well…Your office is still useable, though a bit damp…You still feel safe and secure, though your shoes are a bit wet.
Now, imagine the duct tape making a loud ripping noise… the plate beginning to wobble, the pillow is starting to show itself…All of a sudden with the force and crack of a Civil War canon, the ceiling opens up and you can see all the way to the sky! The water is pouring in so fast and furious that you fall to the ground and struggle to get up right…Your shoes, socks, pants, and the bottom of your shirt is soaked…You are now waist deep in water…
Of course you have seen this once before some 20 years ago…It is just a fact of life here and you know what to do…You shove a mattress up in the hole…remove the door from it’s hinges and place it over the bottom of the hole…You stack your furniture up under the door to hold it in place…You duct tape around the door edges and the leak stops…You place a call to the local emergency services and ask for assistance. Last time this happened it was just a matter of an hour until help arrived…You begin to pack some belongings to take with you when help arrives…Although you are concerned, you have all the faith in the world that help is on the way.
I now invite you to imagine the furniture shaking and wobbling as if there was an earthquake …the duct tape flapping in the wind like the torn sail on a pirate ship…the door creaking and bowing under the pressure of the water which you now realize is seconds away from flooding your entire office, work station, or home…Help has not arrived…You are now doubtful anyone is coming…You can not escape the water if your plug lets go as this time the water line will be up to your nose…How do you feel right now?
The furniture, duct tape, door, and mattress plug although strong and mighty…are no match for the brute force of nature...You have never seen anything like this before…and you begin to wonder if this is the end of your life’s journey.
Then all of a sudden your furniture, duct tape, and mattress plug falls to the ground with a simple thud! You can again see the sky and this time it is beautiful and blue as blue can be…to your surprise there is no more water flowing…you see a bright colored rainbow off in the distance. You begin to feel relief…you begin to laugh…you are so happy that the water is no longer falling that you begin to cry tears of joy… you are feeling as though you have tempted fate and cheated death…The worst is for sure behind you!
Lastly, I invite you to imagine that this awful day was yesterday and you are still stuck in your office or home without help…You are getting hungry and thirsty and begin to eat the snacks you have around the office…A large commercial water bottle survived and you begin to drink from it…
Now imagine that several days have gone by and the water level is still to your waist…
A week has gone by and the water level has gone down a bit, but snakes and alligators are now swimming in and around the hallways and doorways of your office or home…
Two weeks have gone by and you haven’t been able to leave your office or home... No food or water has yet arrived and you are feeling so very weak and helpless…You wonder if anyone cares about you… and will help ever be sent…
Help arrives and you are rescued by boat…
A year goes by……
Another year goes by…………….
Two and a half years have gone by……………………………………….
I don’t want you to have to imagine this, so let me paint the picture for you. If you were working or living in NOLA, especially the Lower 9th Ward or one of the similarly devastated Wards two and a half years ago, you are not likely back to your office, work station, or home because those places no longer exist or have been damaged beyond repair. The decay still evident two and one half years later is both heart breaking and horrifying. (Please view the photos of our work trip to New Orleans).
Help is there in the way of volunteers and the people of New Orleans are truly grateful. It is my opinion, that the people of New Orleans may be the nicest people, with the greatest food and a true zest for life that this great country has to offer. Let us never forget that Hurricane Katrina and Rita hit with a fury our United States of America and the people of New Orleans and the people of Mississippi are our fellow country people.
Please volunteer your time or resources now to make a difference in the life of at least one person or family in New Orleans or Biloxi! I have seen first hand the devastation and destruction and I promise you that your time or money will go to very good use. If you don’t swing a sledge hammer or want to haul gravel, you can plan a trip to New Orleans to sight see, go to the French Quarter, etc… Spend your money in New Orleans as that is great for their economic recovery! Please do your part.
Best Always,
Roderick W. Verbeck, Psy.D, MFT
Clinical Program Manager II
Addiction and Pain Medicine
Moreno Valley Medical Offices
Kaiser Permanente
Riverside California Service Area
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment