Self-Organizing Man

My father and his husband live in Key West, Florida.  They own and operate Island House, a small hotel for men (mostly gay and bi men.)

Yesterday I received word that storm surges had flooded the ground level hotel rooms with six inches of water.   A few hotel guests, staff and some folks living on boats riding out the storm in the hotel, along with my Dad and Martin, hustled through the rooms, grabbed soft furniture and computers and elevated them to safety.

When I called my Dad about 11:30 a.m., the water hadn’t receded.  "I think the damage might be really bad," he said. 

The Divine Ms. H. and I shifted into action mode.  We began making plans to fly down there to assist in the presumed massive clean-up.  Even my mother-in-law offered to fly down!

All day I wanted to be out of my desk job.  Forever.

Natural calamities slice me down to the bone and reveal what is needed.

Life is very, very, very, very short.  In a matter of hours, or seconds, all my father and Martin had worked for drowned under six inches of water.

Everything that rises, falls away.  But it sure hurts when what falls away hurts my loved ones. 

Happily when I spoke again with my father last night at 7:00 pm, the waters receded, leaving little visible damage.  "I think a massive housecleaning effort is all we need."

And just like that, everything seemed okay again.  We chatted a bit longer and I made my Dad laugh.

The only somber note: Fantasy Fest, Key West’s version of Mardi Gras, may suffer reduced numbers of revelers this year. 

But then again, maybe not.  A party may be just what people need to relieve what has been a stressful few days and a worrying hurricane season.

I pondered much during the hours between the two phone calls with my father.  I have one life to live that I know about. 

No excuses or stories will change that for me.  So it is up to me to use the remaining years I have how I want to use them.

It is my responsibility alone.  In the end, if I die happy, it is because I have made a committment to lead a happy life.  Secure in the knowledge that everything I know, love and care about will suffer, decay, die and pass away, I vow to live each day as though a fire raged in my hair.