Musings & Thoughts for Wednesday, August 30, 2023, or: Hurricanes, Stress, and Writing Are Not a Good Mix

Midday/Early Afternoon, Wednesday, August 30, 2023, Lithia, Florida

“Another secret of the universe: Sometimes pain was like a storm that came out of nowhere. The clearest summer could end in a downpour. Could end in lightning and thunder.” ― Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Hi, there, everyone, and welcome to another post – the 1,244^th – on A Certain Point of View, Too.

As I write this, it is a “dark and stormy day” here in the Tampa Bay area as the outer bands of Hurricane Idalia gradually move off to the northeast along with their mother storm. I’m happy to say that the 9^th named storm of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season stayed offshore and moved north during the night and early morning hours, thus avoiding a direct strike on the Tampa Bay area.

Although Idalia did cause flooding in low-lying areas and near waterways on the coast and even a few inland areas, here in my neighborhood in Lithia it has not wreaked havoc. As far as I know, there have not been massive power outages in Lithia or the Fish Hawk Ranch area; we’ve had heavy rain, some wind gusts, and thunderstorms – there’s one in the area as I type this – but no tornadoes, no flooding, no broken windows, and no torn-off roofs.

The current temperature is 84°F/29°C with, naturally, storms and wind, and we’re still under a Tropical Storm Warning until further notice. With humidity at 88% and the wind blowing from the southwest at 15 MPH/25 KMH, the feels-like temperature is 86°F/30°C. Today’s forecast calls for heavy thunderstorms and a high of 86°F/30°C.

Idalia’s Impact on the Storytelling Side of Things

As you can imagine, despite my intentions to “work through the stress” of waiting to see what would happen with the hurricane – Will it turn right earlier than predicted? Will the power go out? If the power does go out, how long will it take for TECO to restore it? Will we be okay? – I was too distracted to work on Reunion: Coda.

I did try, of course; I might not have a 9-5 job working for someone else (which, apparently, is the only legitimate job type I should have, according to some people who don’t believe that what I do is “real work”), but writing is my job, and I strive hard to get at least one blog post (such as this one) published, plus at least write a few pages for the novel.

Yesterday I did manage to post a blog entry, even though it took me far longer to write than usual because, you know, I kept checking on where Idalia was every so often. I also worried about wind damage to the house I currently live in and the safety of everyone in it, as well as the likelihood of power outages in a still-boiling portion of the year.  And as much as I believed that we would not be seriously affected by this hurricane, part of me – the part that experienced Andrew, Katrina (in its passage through Florida phase), and Wilma – still fretted anxiously.

I can’t write worth a damn when I’m either stressed or tired, so my focus was, and still is, out of whack. I didn’t add any new words to the Reunion: Coda manuscript, nor did I do any edits, minor or major.

I still have to take my daily early afternoon break, and I will try to work on my novel after I rest for a while. But, realistically speaking, I will count myself fortunate if I can produce a coherent paragraph or two. I will do my best to get some work done – I really want to publish Reunion: Coda by the holiday season!

And on this note, my friends, I will close for now. Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and I’ll catch you on the less stormy side of things!