Hurricane IAN is pounding Southwest Florida. Besides the tragic loss of life and damage to property, there are many unforeseen things to take into account when looking at a disaster of this magnitude. Here are a few thoughts I thought would be interesting to share.

1. Take a moment to think and appreciate where we are compared to people who lived a mere hundred years ago. Modern conveniences tend to let us forget how vulnerable we are on the planet we inhabit. Whereas a mere 100 years ago, people might not have known what their food source would be in a week from now, many of us have fully stocked pantries on a regular basis. We more or less have our immediate physical needs in place.

The only thing left to do is worry.

The media helps out with that.

Try this:

Force yourself to unplug for 30 minutes a week. Take a piece of paper and write 25 things you are grateful for. Gratitude is a great attitude!

2. The hurricane in a way makes us turn to each other for comfort. I was on a call with one of our interior designers yesterday. She started sharing details about her personal aspirations to flip a property and redesign it herself instead of continuously doing it for other clients. I believe the fact that she was open to talking about this led to a further conversation about a better option for her to fund this flip rather than a SDIRA.

3. Disasters can be a boon for productivity. Did you ever feel how you were ready to take action after being home-bound for a couple of days due to the common cold? Well, it’s interesting how people sound so chipper and ready to get down and rebuild as soon as their businesses are up and running. People are rarin’ to go!

I’ll end with the title of a great book by Rabbi G. 30 Life Lessons from Kids Kicking Cancer

“A PERFECT GOD CREATED AN IMPERFECT WORLD, PERFECTLY”