Sandy

Have you been affected by the storm Sandy?  Do you have family and/or friends affected by this horrible storm?  I have in both ways.

I have friends in different eastern states that have been affected.  Some more than others.  Some only lost power while others won't be able to get back into their homes for weeks.  For some it's just a major inconvenience.  For others, it could be life changing.

I live in Los Angeles California.  We don't get storms like Sandy.  We only get earthquakes.  Since I lived in Philadelphia and New York and chose to move to Southern California, I decided to live with the threat of earthquakes.  They do a lot of damage, but few people have died from Southern California earthquakes.

You're probable wondering why I've been affected by this devastating storm.  The reason is because I broke one of my happiness rules - I watch the TV for hours.  Doing that and stressing over my close friends, made me depressed.  I guess that's normal, but what good did it do me or my friends.

When I stopped watching the TV and was able to reach my friends, I snapped out of it.  Being in a more positive mind I was and am able to help my friends recover emotionally.  This is going to take a long time for some, but instead of them getting a friend who is giving them more negative energy, they're getting a friend who will encourage them to believe they will recover.

Many things are going to affect the people who are impacted by this storm.  Physical damage to their homes, businesses and themselves are just some.  In time, with the help of friends, support agencies and the Federal Government, the physical damage will be taken care of.  They recovered from the devastation of Katrina.  They will recover from the devastation of Sandy.

The mental impact of losing a friend, a relative, a pet, prized positions, stuff that have sentimental value and the financial problems this storm has caused (especially for retired seniors), will take longer and some may never recover.

I believe it is the responsibility of TV executives to stop their negative news now and show how people are recovering.  How brave first responders have saved lives and property.  How friends, family and neighbors are helping these families with their basic physical, personal, financial and mental needs.  How people can get through this mental anguish by focusing on what good will happen in the future (can you spell Doctor Phil).  By showing more positive news and shows instead of all the negative crap TV has been dumping on us for many, many years.

Also,  Newspapers and TV should show how the $20 billion of devastation will help our economy.  My wife's Uncle always said: "always make something good out of something bad."  Because of Sandy, roads, bridges, subways, homes, businesses, etc. will have to be fixed, repaired or replaced.  That means the $20 billion will be spent on jobs, jobs and more jobs.  Our economy needs the boost Sandy will give us.

I hurt for the people who are affected by this storm.  However, I strongly believe we will recover and become stronger.  They recovered from Katrina - they will recover from Sandy.  The more we believe we will recover the faster the recovery will become.

Some say this happened because of Global Warming.  Some say it's God's will.  Some say it's just the start of doomsday.  I don't give a shit why this happened.  You can't screw with Mother Nature.  She's going to do what she is going to do.  

What I do care about is how we respond.  Are we going to respond with more negative energy or are we going to respond with the belief we will make something good out of this mess.  

We can't completely control Mother Nature, but we can control how we VIEW the future.