Like many, many others, I lost power, time, and money when a derecho and other strong storms ripped through the parts of Illinois last week.
I lost the same in 2020, when a derecho also ripped through the area, smack in the middle of the COVID-19 shutdown.
At the time, I was writing nine months worth of daily reflections on kindness (finding opportunties to be kind and finding kindness in others where I might have missed it otherwise), which I published later that year.
Here's what I wrote on two of those days in 2020.
AUGUST 10
Be kind: Be thankful for the luxuries we take for granted.
A derecho blew through Will County this
afternoon.
Shortly
afterwards, I was wandering through rubble, taking pictures of the aftermath
for The Herald-News
This
single, brief storm uprooted trees, damaged homes and properties, and cut power
to thousands of homes. Many people were especially angry about the loss of
power and internet.
Offering
prayers and thinking good thoughts for the safety of the workers who bring us
such luxuries as refrigerators and hot water might be a better use of time
while we’re eating crackers in the dark than griping.
AUGUST 14
Be kind: Spotlight someone else’s good works.
An injured baby squirrel will live another
day because a kind person picked it up after the derecho and found a local
squirrel rescue to accept it.
That
might not sound like a big deal to you.
But
you are not a squirrel.
Yes,
I wrote a story about it. And I’m glad I did. Because I added a postscript to
this post.
A
few weeks later, someone I know in another state rescued two baby squirrels and
didn’t know what to do.
By
connecting the novice with the expert, two more squirrels are now doing well.
From "Nine Months of Kindness"
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