A bit of perspective

Riding back from Tennessee in a charter bus, I noticed something outside my window. Help. It was on the roof of an apartment building next to I-10 in New Orleans East. Help. Tears fell.

Some of you already know this, but sometimes I fear that I talk about Katrina too much. For a while I was afraid I would end up like a war veteran who does nothing but talk about his experience while everyone else calmly placates him. Maybe I still will some day, but for now I'm ok with it, because I figured out why. Everyone in New Orleans has a storm story. Everyone still deals with it daily. "We just got our Road Home money," a friend excitedly told me the other day at work. In New Orleans, it is impossible not to talk about Katrina daily. We even have different names for it - Hurricane Katrina, the Hurricane, the Storm, Katrina. It's also a reference in time, pre- and post-Katrina. "Dammit, why is Blockbuster closed? It's only 10 o'clock." It's because of the Storm.

There's still a lot of damage in this city that I haven't even seen. The only time I tried to go to the 9th Ward I made Erich go with me. I'm not sure we ever got there, but honestly it's probably better that way. I don't think I could handle it. Adam and Becca wanted to see the 9th Ward a couple of weekends ago, and I wanted to show them, but I couldn't. I still don't want to see. I showed them Lakeview instead. At least there's progress in Lakeview.

I know now that I don't talk about it any more than any other person living in the city. It's just that when I leave go to wherever, no one else talks about it. I am the lone voice. But I hope that my experience helps others understand and gives them a bit of perspective.