Hi again from Puerto Rico!
Power is back on in the central area of our town (not at our house), which means more businesses open and more places with wifi! That’s pretty exciting, although I’ve discovered something crazy….
Are you ready?
I don’t miss social media.
At all.
Not even a little.
And I don’t miss email at all.
And I don’t miss random, negative news stories.
And I don’t miss the dings and buzzes of distraction, keeping me from the moment.
And I don’t miss having too much information about the unimportant, and having too little brainpower left for what is important.
I DO miss running water, though.
Showers, you guys. Everybody go take a shower right now, in my honor. They are THE BEST. Yesterday I went to a friend’s house – their water is back on now – and used their shower. Total luxury. I feel like a shampoo commercial model right now. I keep flinging my hair around. It smells so CLEAN. If Lindsey Frost hadn’t sent me that dry shampoo, I might have shaved it all off. Thanks, Linds.
Speaking of awesome people, I don’t know how to say thank you. There’s no adequate way. I’ll be sending out individual notes, but here’s a big hug and heartfelt thanks to all of you who have sent care packages, items from Amazon, donated money or supplies, and continued to send prayers and thoughts and love. Getting a package is like CHRISTMAS. You’re all here, with us, in these tangible ways and we can’t say thank you enough.
Life has a rhythm that feels normal to us. The weather is starting to cool. Joe continues to repair generators, chainsaws, and whatever else shows up in our garage. More parts are coming in, although that’s still slow. He’s working on some solar power ideas, too, and it’s been really cool to see the connections and creativity come together to make neat things happen. We’ve heard good rumors about the possibility of water back in Puntas (our barrio) pretty soon. But there’s no guarantee. We’re planning Thanksgiving with friends. We ordered a couple of smoked turkeys from a friend who has a barbecue truck (delicious); everybody will bring what they can and we will feast and be thankful.
There are a lot of relief efforts going on for people in the mountains. That’s where it is needed the most. Some towns are inaccessible by road, still; helicopters have to drop in pallets of supplies, and no one can get in or out yet. The bridges and roads will be repaired, but it all takes time and a lot of work.
We hope all of you are well and happy, and we’re thankful for each one of you and what you mean in our lives.