Every Rain-Cloud has a Silver Lining

A tornado touched down about 20 miles from my house earlier today. When my dad was alive, inclement weather like this meant non-stop panic in our house. Dad needed oxygen machines and controlled temperatures to breathe for at least the last two years, so if we lost power we needed to get him to a hotel or the hospital immediately. That meant wheeling him from the house to the car and transporting his breathing machines with us, and hoping there wouldn't be any downed trees on our escape route. These demands made storms or heatwaves beyond stressful. Whenever one would happen my mom and I would ghost around the house day and night, the three of us waiting for the worst to happen.

 Of course, the worst has already happened: my dad is dead. His death really takes the punch out of most other problems. I'm starting to notice that things that some of the things that stress other people out don't even phase me anymore. I mean, yeah, it sucks that I'm broke and my hair is falling out, but at least I don't have to touch my father's dead body today. That kind of shit puts things into perspective. I still desperately want my father back, but it's nice not to constantly feel the strain of fighting against the odds to keep him alive. The gentlest battles are the ones you have already lost.