I waited patiently for Hurricane Tammy as the temperature escalated in my house. I hammered nails here and there, bagged all sorts of things, prayed intermittently, and convinced myself that all would be well on the 21st of October, 2023.
In the background, my 79-year-old mother was singing “Master, the Tempest is Raging,” an age-old classic. “The master of ocean and earth and sky. They all shall sweetly obey thy will. Peace, peace, be still,” she sang. The song should have eased the internal anxiety, but it did not.
Several years ago, a tropical storm hit Antigua and Barbuda. I remembered feeling privileged with my newly installed shutters and took much pride in closing them. No one felt safer than I did. Then all hell broke loose. That feeling of privilege quickly transformed into panic. A violent force was trying desperately to make me homeless.
After a sleepless night of trauma, the sun revealed that not the entire, but only a small part of the roof was damaged. I could not forget the past feeling as I braced uneasily for Tammy, and I could not stop thinking about the 2017 tragedy on the sister isle. Neither could Sharima Myers.
“It was a very frightening experience having gone through Hurricane Luis,” said the Barbuda Chair of Sports and Youth Affairs. “We never thought that we could encounter worse than that until we met Irma.” Myers recounted the multitude of people who lost their homes and sought refuge in Antigua.
A headline in the Guardian newspaper captured the calamity thus: “The night Barbuda died: How Hurricane Irma created a Caribbean ghost town.” Imagine the catastrophic horror our brothers and sisters experienced. I’m sure suppressed memories of the Category 5 monster and unbridled fear resurfaced last weekend when Tammy slowed down, gained strength, and made landfall.
We cannot help but admire their resilience, which Myers described as “unmatched”. No longer a ghost town, the sister isle and its people remain a beacon of hope in the fight against climate change and lingering uncertainties. So, how do they do it? Myers asserted “the transition wasn’t easy”, but Barbudans were unified and grateful to rebuild and reside in the only place they consider home.
Gratitude, which is no stranger to adversity, propels resilience. It bolsters strength and solidifies purpose, especially during difficult times. Gratitude promotes adaptive coping strategies that will diminish stress and enable you to appreciate the here and now as you bounce forward from setbacks. Twenty-year-old Sierra Letlow pointed out that, “when faced with unexpected outcomes or unmet hopes, pausing to appreciate all that I have allows me to find gratitude in my current situation and embrace the lessons embedded in the challenges”.
It’s important that in all circumstances, we are firmly anchored in gratitude. A lack thereof will deny us a plethora of social, mental and physical benefits. “A heartfelt ‘thank you’ carries great weight and whenever I’ve offered genuine appreciation, it leaves a lasting impression and benefits me in the future,” Sierra proclaimed.
“It just makes me feel good to know that I remembered to be grateful in that moment because sometimes it’s easy to overlook,” the university student added.
Sierra emphasised “gratitude strengthens relationships by fostering mutual appreciation and trust,” and creates cohesive communities by boosting morale, promoting kindness, and reducing negative behaviours.
It’s not a fleeting emotion. Research shows that gratitude has been associated with fulfilling relationships, reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress, as well as better sleep quality, lower blood pressure, and increased happiness. No wonder author Zig Ziglar described this transformative force as “the healthiest of all human emotions”.
Ironically, it sometimes emerges only during moments of escaped hardship and is usually followed by New Year’s-like resolutions, which may never materialise.
For example, one woman from All Saints Village declared that she will never be caught off-guard again during the hurricane season and vowed to secure and insure her property. It’s a promise that she has made and broken for the last decade. Let’s hope that she fulfills it this time.
Listen carefully. Gratitude should be followed by action. It’s not expressed merely through words and feelings. Hence, the proverb “Actions speak louder than words.” Combined with action, gratitude becomes potent through education, role modelling, and constant reflection on our blessings. Its rippling effect allows individuals of all ages to create a culture of appreciation and generosity.
Despite Tammy’s projected path of wrath, wind and water, she shifted. Gratitude invites us to shift our mindset, too. It could have been worse!
Myers indicated, “there was no major damage to my home, just a piece of the living room roof lifted up and caused some leaks.”
We are all here, breathing a great sigh of relief, not only that Antigua was spared, but also that Tammy’s sustained winds did not surpass Category 1 status on the sister isle.