I faithfully go to the gym; I plod around doing my thing. The group working out when I get to the gym is impressive, as they push through a very hard workout. When they are done, many of them get the mop to clean up their workout area. Sweat was just flying off of them. I think to myself, if that were me it would be the ultimate sign of accomplishment. I lived with the hope that someday it would happen. Well, someday came. I found it a tough workout, mainly because I had spent the entire weekend on the couch recovering from a cold. So, as I reached down to pick up my water bottle, a drop of sweat hit the ground. I realize this is a stretch, and perhaps the humidity of 1000 played a part, but nonetheless, my sweat was on the floor. In my little workout world, I had a huge accomplishment that day! It did not require a mop, but maybe that will happen in the future. I have used the mop, but that was to clean up the water that I spilled when I upset my water bottle. So, I do know how to use it and where they keep it, when the moment comes. I made sure it was a well-documented moment in time!!!!
I am not a soccer fan, but this story is noteworthy. It is not about the game; it is about the country of Japan. When the Japanese soccer team left the dressing room, you would never know they were in there. The towels were folded; everything looked exactly like it did when they arrived. At the end of the game the fans wave their white garbage bags and begin to clean up the area that they sat in. What an incredible gesture. Let's just think about the moment in time when fans just throw their garbage on the ground or in the stands. The Japanese understand that someone must clean up after their fans if they don't do it. What is the understanding of others that just leave a mess.
Last Monday afternoon it was predicted that my area would have a bad storm. Rarely, the weather is accurate until last Monday. The skies opened up and it poured like none other. In less than 3 hours there was 6.5 inches of rain in my gauge. I literally stood and watched it fill. At one point the water was running off my roof so fast because the gutters couldn't handle it. The road was so full of water it was making waves with white caps on them. I know in all of my life I have never had to empty a rain gauge while it is still raining. I had a moment in time when I realized that I would not be dealing with water damage; but many would not be so lucky. It seemed once I emptied the gauge; the tap turned off. A small shower during the night would have brought a total of 7 inches. Definitely a moment that has never happened before in my life.
Seeing nearly 7 inches of rain in my gauge made me realize how vulnerable we are. Mother Nature can be nice and then in a moment she can turn on us. She has thrown it all at us this year. We had a dust storm like we lived in the desert. Everyone describes this storm as something they have never seen before in their lives. It is very common to have wind and tornado warnings to be announced by the phone and TV.
There are no words to describe what is happening in Manitoba right now. To say, entire communities have been decimated by flooding is an understatement. It seems where the forest fires end, the flooding begins. Communities that have never been flooded are flooded. The town of Swan River has been flooded twice. The thing is the roads are gone. In the Dauphin area alone, there are 200 roads ripped apart. You can't get in or out of these communities. What a moment in time for those people to realize water is pouring into their home and there is absolutely nothing they can do about it. One moment you are living your life and the next moment you are running for safety. No one was prepared for such a massive amount of rainfall and how it would accumulate in such a destructive manner. Not only are these people losing their homes and their belongings, but many were unable to save their animals. I heard that one family lost 90 bulls. Gone before they had a hope to get them to higher ground.
Last night the city of Brandon declared a State of Emergency. That gives the officials the power to bypass normal procedures to protect public safety in a crisis. Crews have completed the dike on the Grand Valley Road in preparation for the water that will be arriving from the northern communities. The Assiniboia River is spreading fast, and the northern water isn't even here. The city learned a lot from the floods of 2011 and 2014 and has permanent dikes in place. The water is expected to arrive on Monday, and it will crest on July 12th. No one knows for sure, but the expectation is that there will be more water than the flood of 2014.
To me, when I think of "a moment in time" I like it to be memorable. Something good that I will never forget. The reality is "a moment in time" can also be life changing. The significance of life changing often becomes clear only in hindsight. It is when you look back and realize, "that was the moment everything changed". A pivotal time in life that started with a moment in time.
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