When it Rains, it Pours... and Other Stories (Ulog no. 7)

in #ulog6 years ago

The older I get, the more I become convinced that some days are simply not meant to "go anywhere.

Yesterday seemed to be one of those days.

Sunset
At the end of the day...

I started the morning by reflecting on it being August 11th, making it my auntie's birthday. Well, she's actually long dead (she would have been 114!), and she was my dad's older sister; I wrote about his birthday a few days back.

View
View through the window

She helped raise me; I often lived with her when my parents were out pursuing their nomadic life. She seemed like one of the very few kind and "responsible" people in an ocean of what mostly felt like very self-involved adults.

Which got me to thinking about the whole concept of "safety" and "feeling safe."

I often hear people lament the fact that people are cold and unfeeling, and that the world lacks compassion, on a societal level. But if you don't have a safe space within which process your feelings when they arise... how can you be authentically in touch with them?

So I went off to work, pondering this thing.

Those of you who have been regulars on this page might remember that in October of 2017, the small art gallery my wife and I have flooded. There was a (supposedly!) "freak" rain event that caused the city drains to overflow, and a "cascade failure" later, there was 8 inches of water in our lower-level shop.

Gull
Good weather for seagulls

The details are irrelevant, but in the ensuing aftermath of denied insurance claims and related; a city manager was quoted as saying "We can't really be held accountable for what was a 500-year weather event."

Now, I don't care about city government and city managers; but it was yet another example of people abdicating accountability. Passing the buck. How hard would it have been to simply say "Yeah, our city drainage infrastructure is old and failing; that's why your place flooded; we're sorry."

Before that flood actually happened, there was already an infrastructure "upgrade" set to start construction on January 5th of this year... it just finished, near the end of July.

So yesterday, it rained again — as in, a severe thunderstorm. And even though it was only half as severe as the October 2017 rain event, we were in danger of flooding again. In SPITE of the new project to improve matters. We were OK, because we have SAND BAGS in front of our back door, not because the new and improved drainage worked...

Water
This was the downtown main streat yesterday... maybe there's a REASON it's called "Water Street?"

Drainage which was — by the way — criticized by many as being inadequate and more "for show" than "for function." And now, tested under fire, failed.

Which brings me back to accountability and how we approach things. And the way of most humans, organizations and society in general to work on treating symptoms, rather than repairing problems

Flower
Flower in the sun

Will the city even comment? The "500-year weather event" excuse is out. So now what?

But getting back to the main topic, yesterday went nowhere near the direction I had hoped for. Instead of feeling like I was having a productive day, I ended up hauling sandbags... and getting soaked.

I also meant to get caught up on Steemit, and to write a couple of posts. Instead I got to about five comments, and NO posts.

And so it goes. Or does it? All this really means is that today I got to start my day at 20 yards behind the starting line...

Hope you're all having an amazing Sunday!

As per usual, comments are invited and welcome! Steemit runs on engagement and interaction, so be part of the conversation!


created by @zord189

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(As always, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 180812 15:25 PDT

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