A masterclass in gratitude

In the freak Melbourne storms on 27 August, the SES received 1700 calls for helping with tree falls and building damage. One of them was from us, after a massive tree crashed through and wiped out a large section of our house.

The instant I watched the roof come tumbling down and my mum disappear under it was by far the most terrifying second of my life. The 2 weeks since has given me a new perspective on the many things I am grateful for, in life and specific to that event. Before habituation pushes the initial swell of gratitude into the shadows, I am taking the time to note down the biggest things I realised I am grateful for, in the aftermath of this crisis.

1. Our life and health - I watched the tree crash through roof and floor in less than a second. I watched the red chair mum was sitting on, and mum, disappear under all of that. And then I watched her head reappear amongst the destruction. I felt my husband's hand on my shoulder; he was on the other end of the lounge and had raced away with incredible reflex. I heard our 13yo come out of her room. Together we walked to the other end of the house. We were all ok. This was my moment of sheer joy. This is what I am most grateful for.
2. Shelter and food - In the minutes after the tree fall, once we realized mum was OK, our foster kid voiced her fear. Would someone come take her away, now that we no longer had a "safe" place to live in? I am thankful we could reassure her immediately and did not have to worry at all of being able to provide a roof over our heads or food on our plates, no matter what. The second call we made that night after 000 was to our insurance provider. From finding us an emergency accommodation that night near the hospital, to a serviced apartment later, helping us with replacing contents, walking us through what we are entitled to or the different steps to go through, we couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I am incredibly grateful for the privileged life we lead, for being well insured and that our insurance provider is helpful.
3. Access to best-in-class emergency services - Mum needed an ambulance ride and a few hours in hospital that night. Afterwards, she couldn't help gushing about the fantastic pre-hospital care by the paramedics and then the careful checks in hospital for what, on the surface, looked somewhat minor (a laceration and a number of bruises and cuts). She also wondered aloud about the ease of calling 000, the CFA and SES people who helped, and the various other things I almost take for granted after 11+ years of living in this country. We remembered how we struggled to get dad in and out of a car for his dialysis in the last month of his life. We remembered my uncle who fell into a boiling pot of water the day after our wedding and us running out for a tuktuk to take my severely burnt uncle to the nearest hospital. I am sincerely thankful to all the volunteer and career emergency people who rushed to our help, cared for us and made us feel safe that night.
4. A supportive workplace - I have been incredibly fortunate to work where I do in a year that has been unkind to millions around the world on the job front. On this day, I realized again how privileged I am when every person around rallied to pitch in and cover for me, they rescheduled meetings no matter how difficult diary coordination would be later, they checked in on me, they sent flowers and they reassured me repeatedly that my health and safety came first. I am grateful for the kind, empathetic and supportive workplace I am a part of.
5. An amazing partner-in-life - Every single day since the incident, my husband has been back at the house. When there are meetings with the insurance, the arborist, the engineer, the council surveyor, I know he’ll handle it. We lost 18 trees that night, not counting the ones that hit the house which belonged to a neighbour, and the backyard looked like a war zone. Within a week my husband had brought it back to order through sheer hard work (and some help from neighbours, family and friends). If I need something from our home, all I do is tell him and it appears that evening! Through all this he also remained the primary carer for our teenaged foster child. I can focus almost solely on my work because I know he will handle everything else thrown our way. For this privilege I am immensely thankful.
6. Family - Staying in a suburban serviced apartment away from our quiet hills has somehow brought our family closer together through new ways of finding joy. We started and finished a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle together in the first week. We’ve started a new routine of going out for a walk each evening to a strip of cafes for groceries, snacks or a takeaway dinner. Evening TV has given way to conversation, about our days, how we’ll redesign the lounge when we rebuild and what rentals we'd like. Through all the chaos, I am grateful for the family memories we are building.
7. Community - My husband volunteers with the CFA and could reach them almost immediately after the event. They came in dozens to help out. Once they had done what they could in their official capacity, they stayed on as neighbours. Other neighbours joined along with family and friends. Some dropped off food. Some others came in with chainsaws to clear trees. Everyone rallied around us, keeping an eye on anything we might need. For all of these wonderful humans by our side, I am thankful.

The impact of this incident has been extensive and will no doubt change us (and definitely our house) in many ways. However, it has also been a masterclass in gratitude. It made us rethink what we often take for granted. I hope the practice of reiterating to ourselves how blessed we really are and savouring the small happy moments stays with us and becomes a positive change from this frightening ordeal.