August 31, 2009

Four Years Later

Well...it's been a strange weekend and last week was somewhat odd, as I did feel a bit unsettled, as if I were forgetting something. Ironically, it was slipping my mind that the fourth "anniversary" of Katrina was looming. So, I called a few people who have all made it a point of checking in with each other on a regular basis since the storm and mass evacuation/relocation.

It seems that many people are simply focusing on the present moment while planning their futures, futures which include starting new jobs, new creative ventures, cross-country relocation, and all things "normal". Yes, it seems that life has, for the most part, gone back to normal...whatever normal may be.

Myself - I practiced, then went to the gym for a very long workout.

It is difficult to think of what a "standard" response should be upon remembering - after all, were not hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people directly affected, and have we not all worked tirelessly to rebuild our lives in some fashion, to make sense out of chaos?

Myself - sometimes I get tired. Existential fatigue...

This year, however, weariness was replaced with moments of quiet contemplation as I walked across Knoxville's Gay Street bridge, evening sunlight dancing atop the Tennessee River, realizing that we are indeed a part of something so much larger than ourselves - a continuum of life, if I may?

It has been interesting reconnecting with some of the Europeans that I rode out the storm with, and particularly with those who in essence saved me. They're all well - it seems that we all had the same moment this weekend...quietly reflecting on that odd moment in time as if relates to the continuum of life...

...more soon,
Sam

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