The biggest concern in Southern Florida is Tropical Storm Fay slightly offshore Cuba. The question on everyone's lips is: do you think it will come here? This past weekend while on travel I was asked why anyone would want to live in a region where there are hurricanes. My explanation was that it is a great place to live - egrets and peacocks walk on your driveway or roof and the ocean breeze carries an invigorating touch of salt. 10% of the world's population lives immediately adjacent to a coast, so others agree with that assessment as well.
Occasionally we have to prepare the house for a hurricane or tropical storm. Although the preparation can be a bit anxious, there is a tinge of excitement or adventure. Although we have 6 or 7 Home Depot and Lowes home improvement stores within a 5 mile radius, they are usually sold out of plywood within 48 hours of a tropical event. It can be an experience, screwing down a 4 x 8 panel of plywood over second story windows when the wind is already gusting to 20 mph. You have to be careful or you become a human kite! That doesn't mean that we tickle the dragon - once a Category II hurricane or greater is headed our way, we head north for higher ground. But we do secure the house before leaving.
Watching the Weather Channel when you are several hundred miles away from your home can be quite exhausting. There is nothing you can do about the storm other than pray, and things happen so slowly. You watch the continuous coverage, primarily because there isn't anything else to do after you have evacuated. Yet from hour-to-hour very little changes or happens. Also - is there any television channel that shows more commercials?
Isn't life like this as well? There is not much adventure without risk. Can you even have adventure without risk?
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