Lessons Learned from The Fires

After being evacuated from our home in Poway, California due to the recent wildfires that struck (and in some instances devastated) our community, I learned (and re-learned) valuable lessons I’d like to share with you. And perhaps my lessons learned will resonate with you or help remind you of what is important in your life.

The 5 Most Valuable Lessons I Learned from the Fires

1: Nothing is more important than family.

2: Everyone reacts differently when faced with a crisis, and it’s important to accept and respect each others differences. For example, to deal with the stress I sought internal relief and withdrew from talking about the situation, whereas my husband drew external comfort from talking with friends and family. The more accepting we are of our differences the more connected you’ll feel to each other.

3: What we valued the most, besides our boys and our cats, were the things we could carry with us: two suitcases of clothes for us and the boys, our photo albums and important papers. We left everything else.

4: Children adapt easier than adults. As long as play is involved they can have a good time anywhere. For example, because the air quality was so bad, they couldn’t play outdoors, so we took them to an indoor shopping center. My boys had the best time climbing stairs and “riding” the escalator. Their laughter brought out the child in me and temporarily vanished my stress.

5: I don’t need to work as hard or do as much. The most valuable time is the time I spend with my family. There’s nothing so important that I have to work hours on end to complete a task. My new personal rule is computers off by 7 p.m. Now I can spend more quality time with my kids, husband or have more relaxation time for myself.

I heard Maya Angelou once say that when faced with a challenging situation say, “thank-you” because when you come out of it you experience growth and a deeper understanding of what is really important. Through this experience I realized that it’s not the “things” or working hard to achieve greater success that really matter, it’s the quality time we share with those we love.