Well hell, I could probably just end this post right here. Did you hear me? We will never forget because we can never forget.
That said, are we really required to commemorate - or even acknowledge - the 10th "anniversary" of such an immense tragedy? There are local events that do respectfully mark this fateful day, and I'll touch on that in a moment, but I am not at the point of wanting to attend such functions yet (if ever). I definitely don't fault them, however, for reaching out to the community in this way. All I'm saying is I don't want to be a part of it.
Now, before I get too far into this, I want to say that I have sweet friends around the country and around the world who make it a point to let me know they remember and that they're thinking of me at this time each year. Let's be clear that that is not what I'm talking about. Those people reach out respectfully and with love, and I love and appreciate them for it.
What I'm really talking about here is the media coverage ad nauseam for the last few weeks, the parade, the Hurricane Katrina snow globe enterprise (which I, on principle, will not link to in this post), and on and on and on. Not wanting to participate in the frenzy is seemingly frowned upon, and even worse - it's so pervasive that it's nearly inescapable.
Maybe there are people around the nation who want to know what it feels like to lose everything - to lose not only your possessions and your home but to lose your community and close proximity to friends and family. I can tell you what it feels like without a 2-hour special full of graphic images (of which I have hundreds of my own of my home, homes of family members, etc.). It feels... empty. It's a sinking hole that you can't quite fill. And I was one of the fortunate ones who didn't lose loved ones who stayed behind. I can't even begin to imagine that one.
Many lives were lost, many from poor communities, and this was a man-made disaster as well as a natural one, which makes people feel the need to reflect on what could have been done differently and how we failed as a city, a state, and a nation. I get that. I also get that it's not healing any wounds or solving any problems. All it does is make a spectacle of tragedy and the ensuing circus act post-storm.
I agree with a friend of mine who said a jazz funeral would be appropriate - culturally relevant and respectful - to mark this day if it must be done. There's a local school board that hosts an annual Day of Reflection Breakfast, and for that small community just outside of New Orleans, which arguably took the brunt of Hurricane Katrina's wrath, that is both appropriate and reverent. But a parade? A PARADE? The parade is clearly an attempt to pander to tourists, and I'm sure someone down at the Tourism Bureau is giving him or herself a huge pat on the back for having had such an amazing idea. But I'll just say it - it's a ridiculous concept. Parades are, not only historically, but presently, jovial celebrations. Hurricane Katrina is something most of us are trying our hardest to forget, which is maybe the opposite of something we want to "celebrate." It's just plain disrespectful. Commemorate, yes. But revel and celebrate? No, thank you.
I noticed a few years back that just about every year around this time, without even thinking about the hurricane specifically, I start to get a little down. It generally takes me by surprise, without any known catalyst, and then some time later I recognize what time of year it is. Like clockwork.
In the years since Katrina, like so many of us, I've experienced many positive changes as well many unbelievable challenges. I'm thankful to have recovered in the sense that I once again live near New Orleans, own a home, have a beautiful baby, completed a post-graduate program, and am - to the extent that I can be - settled. My parents are still displaced in another state, as are my sister and my grandmother, and I can't say things are back to normal. There's a new normal that I still haven't quite accepted. 10 years later.
So if you don't see me posting on Twitter and Facebook about the devastation that forged a deep gap in our lives 10 years ago or see me at the parade (THE PARADE) or even hear me say much about it outside of this tiny forum, you'll know why. I want something that will never be over to end and to go about my day as normally as possible.
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