The Halloween I will never forget

Or, the day that I walked 65 blocks home from work.

It's true. I was able to grab a bus to work yesterday morning which took over an hour instead of the usual 20 minute subway ride. I was less fortunate on the way home from work. The buses were overflowing due to the closed subways and bumper to bumper traffic. I considered waiting for a bus that had space available, but it didn't seem likely to happen. So I walked the 65 blocks home from midtown Manhattan to Harlem on the crowded sidewalks, filled with others making the same trek home.

As crazy as all of this seems, I can't imagine feeling sorry for myself and the small inconveniences that Hurricane Sandy has brought me. I was overwhelmed yesterday by the stories my co-workers told me and the pictures they had taken. Some will be without power "indefinitely" while others are living with friends until they can return home again. From what I've heard, downtown Manhattan is eerily quiet because of its empty streets. Century-old trees have been uprooted and the streets smell like the sewers. Parks are closed. Cranes are dangling. New York has a new face to those who knew it best. 

I've only been in Manhattan for a couple of months now, but it feels like my home has been violated. Although the storm hasn't affected my life directly, I feel a great sense of loss throughout my community. Lives have been changed. My life has been changed. This week brought me much-needed perspective.

But perhaps this might also be a silver lining of the storm. Over this past week, I have felt closer to my neighbors, my co-workers, and even strangers on the street. We all have something in common now. Whereas before, "how are you?" was usually thrown out in passing, people now ask the same question with genuine interest and concern. People have offered their apartments, showers, cell phones, everything to those who have been uprooted. It's been a blessing for me to experience how a disaster can strengthen relationships and bring people together. And for that I am grateful.

So while we did nothing to actually celebrate Halloween (I'm not sure many people even remembered it was Halloween...), I'll always remember the experiences I had on October 31st, 2012.