There was always something to do. Obie took great pride in her home and there was nothing she wouldn't do to ensure her guests were always comfortable, relaxed, well fed. If they preferred peace and quiet, she gave them places of beauty for solitude, reading, sunning and meditation...beaches, gardens and beautiful peaceful gazebos. If the guests wanted to be entertained, there was always dancing, live music, karaoke, a live outdoor show, movies, nightlife everywhere. Fancy dinners were the norm at Obie's, but there were also little nooks and crannies that offered a quick bite or cool drink. Children were Obie's special joy, so she arranged sand-castle building, museums, surf lessons, an aquarium with live sharks and all sorts of fun things. For the men, there was fishing and golf...and for the ladies, shopping sprees and luncheons. Adults enjoyed cocktails on the decks in the evenings and breakfast on the piers in the mornings.
Everyone was on vacation, of course...except for Obie. She worked all day and all night, all summer long catering to her guests. It was exhausting at times, but seeing the satisfaction and sun kissed smiles as her guests came and went gave her a sense of pride of a job well done.
Obie was a bit concerned, when she heard a hurricane was brewing just offshore...so she took precautions and began to ready herself, and her guests. Some of the guests gladly left early, leaving Obie to prepare her home, board up windows, tie down her deck furniture, ready the boats. Some guests stayed till the last minute, which was really fine with Obie, as long as they didn't need too much while she was busy battening down the hatches. She still catered to their needs, ensuring they were comfortable and reassuring them she would do her best not to neglect them, although as the storm approached her to-do list was getting pretty long.
Obie was visibly relieved, when just a day before the storm arrived her last guests departed (although somewhat begrudgingly). With one full day, Obie worked well into the wee hours readying her home. When she finally rested and sat back to watch as Hurricane Irene approached from the south...she closed her eyes and prayed.
With no power, no means of communication, winds howling, rain pouring and the sound rising....Obie was devastated as she watched her beloved west side disappear under a surge of sound water....the water literally took bits of her home away with it as it receded. Other parts of Obie's home were so ravaged, that not only would guests not be able to return, Obie herself could not even access the area to assess the damage...all she knew for certain was, it would never be the same again.
The next morning, she awoke to find her beautiful docks were gone, the gardens crushed, her favorite reading place washed away. The hurricane had passed further north, but a horrific mess was left behind for Obie to deal with. She took a deep breath, and began to clean, and pile and sweep and wash. She mucked and cried and picked up pieces of her former life just a few days before...soggy and ruined by the flooding. She was filthy, and hungry and tired. Two days of nothing but destruction and sadness. At times it seemed hopeless that she would be able to do it all. How could she get it back to the way it was before? How much time did she have? Where would she find the energy?
Obie wept for her beloved home.
Then, a flicker of light...the power came back on! Well that certainly helped! The phones were working! The sun began to shine. The birds were back chirping in the trees. Dripping with mud, sweat and tears Obie muddled through. She did what she could do. She cleaned up what she could and made the best of a bad situation, as she always had. Listening to the radio (Beach 104) she learned that she was not alone, there were many in her same situation or worse. She called in and offered to help her neighbors as far away as she could.
In no time at all, she heard them...trucks and cars and campers and RV's and motorcycles...all heading her way. Her scheduled guests had once again begun to arrive, anyway!
At first, Obie was overwhelmed...there was still so much to do, she was a wreck and her home certainly wasn't up to par for guests. But here they were! Some came with shovels, some with cleaning supplies, some with strong arms and legs offering to help. Some came with food and with water. Some told Obie to just relax, they were here to help even though they were on vacation. It was amazing. It was wonderful...it was a miracle! Obie was going to be okay after all!! These were not just guests, but friends.
Some of the guests, of course, were not helpful and demanded their amenities, regardless of the obvious exhaustive state their hostess was in. Obie was still gracious and explained with her most polite southern charm that while she welcomed them and hoped they enjoyed their stay, she may be busy for a few more days and hoped they would understand. Some did. Some didn't. Some left in a huff. Some stayed and let Obie get on with her work, while they played on the beach. That was okay with Obie...she still had plenty of work to do, but she encouraged her guests to go ahead and enjoy the parts of her home that weren't damaged. She was dismayed when she heard that some of the guests were actually using the ice and water provided by Disaster Relief for the victims of the hurricane, to fill their coolers. Such blatant disregard for Obie's well-being and recovery was just sad. But, she kept smiling, kept working, kept welcoming and most of all kept her head held high because, like the waves on the shore...that's just how Obie rolls.
We all know "Obie". She is the beautiful and resilient Outer Banks of North Carolina.
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| Sometimes, life is like that....it just up and pulls the rug right out from under you... and then, you get up...dust yourself off...look around and sure enough the sun begins to break through the clouds. You take a deep breath, give thanks for the wonders of being alive, trust in yourself and remember it's not broken, it's just bent. You can do this, you are strong and good. And you are not alone. |
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