And we’re back. Five days, six hotels and a ten hour flight, E and I arrived to a post-Sandy NYC. We knew we may have gone a bit too off the grid when our landlord sent out an APB e-mail on our whereabouts to the entire building asking if anyone had seen us. “We haven’t heard from them since Oct. 30, when they said they were stuck in Rio,” they wrote. I guess our story sounded a bit Bonnie and Clyde-like, but really, our flight was canceled!

When we got into JFK at 7 am, our taxi driver told us he slept in the gas station for six hours waiting for gas the day before to fill up his cab. He was still in good spirits, as his Flushing, Queens home still had power. We raced home to see if our apartment was in tact and discovered we, too, had power and heat. After hugging each other, thankful all was well, the first thing E and I needed was food. Real New York food. “Pastrami on rye for lunch?” E’s eyes perked up.

I made sandwiches as E started our laundry (and no, we didn’t have to do it in the sink this time). We e-mailed and texted every friend we had to let them know we were back and our facilities were at the ready if they needed to charge electronics, shower, or wanted some good grub. We then donated some money to the American Red Cross and checked up on our neighborhood businesses. We knew we were missed when our local wine shop guys asked if we’d been out of town last week because he hadn’t seen us stocking up on bottles. Then, we started thinking about our next adventure.

This week taught me a few lessons. Life is short. Hug your loved ones, but don’t hold on to possessions. Make memories and hold on to those instead. They’re much easier to create and protect. When the big storm hits, memories will be the thing that won’t be damaged, waterlogged or washed away.

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