Greetings Tinderbox Podcast Community. I wanted to let you know that I needed to take a short pause with the Podcast content due to the wild weather that has taken place within the last month. Losing power for a week and having scheduled guests lose power and have other storm related challenges just compounded things. That being said, what is important is the health and well-being of ourselves and the communities we live in. And that is what I want to lift up with this blog on this last day of September.
The beauty of community was what brought me and many others though the tornadoes, torrential rain, destruction and power outages for too many days, weeks and even over a month. I am grateful for my neighbor who cut up the huge tree branch that caused damage in a variety of ways. To friends who opened their doors to provide access to services I no longer had access to. I thank you. To those that were able to come together to share, support, hug, laugh, reflect, help, console and be neighborly, it was a beautiful thing to witness.
When trauma occurs, you want to feel safe. Psychologically, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. You seek connection, because we were made to be in community. You ask about the safety of others because it feels like the right and kind thing to do. You share because you can see the struggle that folks are enduring and passing the peace (giving from what you have) feels like you are helping to fill in the gaps that the storms of life have caused. What is my saddens is that it sometimes takes trauma to have us be more aware of the wellness of those whom we live in proximity to. With the change in weather patterns, health safety nets being rolled back, and escalation of costs for basic resources. Many had already been living on the edge. The storms and destruction showed us how quickly our circumstances can change and who we can count on when we need a helping hand. I believe our answers can be found within the communities where we reside. In the connections we have made and our willingness to share what we have to help another move forward and progress.
This is essentially what the Tinderbox Podcast is all about. Amplifying those voices that need to be heard because they have nuggets of knowledge that the collective body needs. Connecting them to others who might be inspired by what they are doing and spark a thought or idea to do something better. While storms are destructive, they cause us to reassess. They also cause us to slow down and get back to basics. To problem solve. Contingency plan and consider our emergency preparedness. If the power went out again, would you have cash on hand? Access to potable water. Do you have original or copies of important documents and a safe storage folder for them. Do you have a transistor radio, batteries, flashlights, other means to prepare or cook food.
The more contingency planning you develop the more options you will have at your disposal during a highly stressful and/or traumatic event. This could be the difference between having some peace of mind completely being stressed out. I invite you all to go back and look at our episode with Dr. Miriam Barnett where we discuss emergency preparedness. I believe it might ignite some sparks so that you can continue to “stay kindled”. If you are a regular Tinderbox Podcast Listener, you know that is how I sign off on our episodes.
So, hang in there with me. I am working on confirming more guests who will share from their amazing experiences and expertice. I am excited about these conversations and how they will help the community.
Thank you again for staying connected, sharing the episodes and telling folks about the content. I appreciate each and every one of you.
