Perhaps the most important thing to remember
is not that it will be okay.
In many ways, it simply won't be.
You, your neighbors, your loved ones
will lose pets, lives, memories, furniture,
access to water and food.
You may lose your trust in nature, in the cycles of life.
You and your pets will startle at a slamming door,
listen too intently to the creaks of the floorboards,
wondering if another tree is falling,
if another piece of your life is about to come apart.
And it will hurt
and you will go numb,
and everything will be
so hard
for longer than you imagined.
But also there will be help
and community
and kindness,
and more people who want you to come out of it well and whole
than you could ever believe possible.
Things are at their worst amidst the aftermath of a disaster,
but people—so many people—
become their best.