After All...

We went back to work today. The semester was barely three weeks old when we debunked to hide from Ike the Gulf Storm. The faculty met and it was determined that about half still have no power. Some experienced only minor inconveniences and lost power for less than a day. Others had trees through the roof, every room damaged, carpets ruined, floors buckled and months of expensive repairs ahead.
I was totally unprepared to work today. We needed to get grades in by three o'clock because progress reports are going out Friday. The Principal wants every parent contacted if the grade is below 74. I understand her motivation, but it seems hard to call someone who may be on day 15 without power and tell him his kid is failing social studies. After all, this is kind of a stressful time for folks around here.
I couldn't focus on what I needed to do. I was in one of those Claritin kind of fogs or needed my blood sugar adjusted or something. It was as if my brain was not available to deal with the matters at hand.
We went to lunch at the local Mexican restaurant, where enchiladas seemed to be the comfort food of choice. I notice that everyone seems to be grateful for whatever dire straits they were blessed to avoid, but still we've been strained by displacement, darkness or demands on our resources. Ike was here briefly, but the evidence of his visit isn't going to go away anytime soon. The piles of debris are turning brown and breeding seething flocks of gargantuan mosquitoes.
Writing this I am able to understand why I feel tired. Everyone is tired. Coping is hard work and when the kids come back to school tomorrow we know that they won't really be prepared to focus on school.
The collapse of the economy seems more eminent with the proposed $700 billion bailout. Bush is addressing the nation tonight to tell us how urgent the bailout is.
He only comes out of his hole when he and his elitist appointees have brought everything to the edge of the abyss. The McCain campaign is suspending their political endeavours so that the Senator can return to Washington and help forestall economic chaos. After all, we cannot be playing partisan politics at a time of crisis. We can't stand and explain to the American people what we think or plan to do about such problems either.
I'm tired. After all, I've been through a hurricane, been out of work for almost two weeks, have had to watch my country slip into Third World Status. It's draining and demoralizing.
It's time to start looking for the upside...there's bound to be one. As Scarlett said, "Tomorrow is another day."