“The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining” - President Kennedy
Being caught up in Storm Babet’s flooding at Rothbury, Northumberland over our ‘half term’ break was fascinating. Having arrived without difficulty on our journey, spent a cosy day in our cottage out of the then hammering rain, and thinking the problems were actually where we were ultimately heading in Scotland, we first knew anything was amiss when about 10 mountain rescue crew came into the pub where we were having food. The barmaid looked at us in astonishment when we asked what was going on and told us the river had burst its banks earlier that day.
We then noticed the blue lights of the fire engines in the street right next to our cottage putting down industrial sized sand bags, and with a little investigation on Twitter realised that those people next door were being evacuated from their bungalows. A short walk to the end of our street and we met the rising river.
The following day we walked around the town, taking in the impressive extent of the water, which had already receded a little. Another day later the sun was out and it was as if nothing had ever happened. The only clues were in the river’s fast flow and the glistening grass looking extremely neat, as if it had all been carefully tended to lie in one direction, downstream.
The town was well prepared. We found flood gates and life belts in strategic positions. Homes had door flood guards and sandbags. The police, coastguard, fire brigade and mountain rescue teams performed a slick operation. Local businesses provided support and refreshment to the crews. Everyone knew the part they played. While people were moved and some homes were flooded, it was minimised and there was no loss of life. The town quickly returned to normal. We moved on and had a lovely break in Scotland with fabulous autumn colours.
Planning forward is key. Clearly those bungalows are vulnerable, and the town are well used to events like this. We were told the floodwaters had reached our cottage in 2008, and the response was such that we’d have been alerted if there was any danger to us.
After a restorative break, it’s very easy to quickly get submerged back into daily life – the ‘thick of thin things’. We know these few weeks in the run up to Christmas are always darker, usually colder and often wetter with successive storms coming through. And yet, if we take time to look, there is a beauty to the autumn and winter we don’t see at the rest of the year. There are many and varied seasonal commitments to our families, schools and wider communities – it’s always a busy period, full of hope and fun, and yet it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Stress is useful, it helps us get things done. But the darker months can sometimes provide a ‘perfect storm’ of factors that can tip us from stress into overwhelm. Knowing this can help us plan to sustain ourselves and so reduce the potential stresses we will face. As President Kennedy said, “the time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining”. With national stress awareness day on November 2nd, and a restorative break behind us, this is the time for us to plan ahead and put in place some measures to look after ourselves over the winter period, to give us the energy we’ll need to thrive, so we don’t get swept away by a rising tide – or river! – and can build sustainably upon the benefits of the break.
Reflection:
How do you maintain your energy through the darker months, to give you the resource and energy to manage the seasonal stresses and maximise the beauty and joy?
What will you plan to do to ensure you thrive, not just survive?
What contingencies can you put in place in case things don’t go as you hope? Having a plan reduces the stress.
What’s the worst that can happen, and what opportunities might that bring? Seeing the opportunity in the situation also reduces the stress, as we know we can find a way through and bounce back.