So, is anyone else really bummed out about hurricane season? This year, for the first time, I've been having momentary panic attacks about the possibility of evacuation, or worse, relocation.
I tend to be a pretty roll-with-the-punches kind of chick, and I don't have any all-important ties to New Orleans i.e. a house, a good job, etc. So, I've never gotten that upset over the idea of picking up my life, collecting my possessions and hopefully my loved ones, and moving elsewhere indefinitely. I actually get a little bit itchy when I stay in the same place for too long, so an extended hurrication, if not a new home altogether, would be exciting for me.
This year, though, everything is different. The idea of shoving my swollen ass into a car and driving for days on end, in traffic, with limited pee stops, is horrifying. The idea of searching for a new Ob/Gyn and working out a whole new prenatal care situation is repulsive. Even the thought of trying to move all the baby crap we are slowly collecting as time goes on makes my head hurt.
Beyond that, and even more importantly, New Orleans feels more like home than ever right now. This is where I am beginning my family, and where my partner in that process has his roots. We have ties here: familial; friendly; and hell, gastronomical. This is where we find all of our favorite restaurants, the places we frequented when we first started dating, the movie theater where we saw our first movie together... (Jackass 2, if you're wondering.)
I may talk sometimes about getting out of New Orleans, or Louisiana, or even the South before it's too late, but I'll be damned if it's because of some hurricane. Even worse than the idea of leaving this place on Mother Nature's terms is the thought that it may not be the same or even BE, for that matter, if and when we want to return. What if we can't go to Mandina's for lunch, or have some beers at Cooter Browns? What if the people we are close with decide not to return? What if the whole city sinks underwater and becomes the second Atlantis; the subject of fairy tales for our children?
Right now, I feel like all of these fears are completely rational, and they often occupy the forefront of my mind. I try to drive them away by telling myself that the chance of even having to evacuate is quite slim, but the worry is always there. I just hope that hurricane season takes it easy this year, because I am hormonal, rapidly expanding, and somewhat irrational. Combine those factors with the summer heat; a long, slow evacuation; and a whole lot of uncertainty, and I'm not sure how we would survive.
