Today's stellar blog post is brought to you by the letter N, for New Orleans! This past weekend I went to New Orleans, Louisiana and I got more out of it than I thought I would, that's for sure. Before the trip, I went in thinking that this trip was gonna be all about the free time for me. That I'd have a blast with friends on Bourbon St. (which believe me, is not something you see, it's something you experience #sleazefactory), do some mandatory community service, and visit a few tourist attractions. Little did I know I'd end up meeting two men from an organization that would inspire me and motivate me like I haven't been before.
For the community service, we went to the Lower 9th Ward and helped out a community center. That is where I met Mac and Steve, two of the strongest men I've ever met. Mac was a large man who, by the looks of him, you wouldn't have guessed would run a community center. And up until Hurricane Katrina, he didn't. Mac spoke for about half an hour, totally freehand, about his experiences and the things that this awful tragedy taught him. "Enjoy things. But don't let them become your life!" he told us. Before the hurricane, Mac owned 14, yes 14, antique cars. They were his life. And when Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans, it wiped out every last one of them. Mac explained to us that the first few months after Katrina were the hardest time in his life and that at the end of those few months, he realized that you can either lie down and complain about your suffering, or do something about it.
Mac explained that the damage Katrina did is still no where near being fixed. The death toll is still rising from those who are dying of stress. Large amounts of people either can't move back or don't want to, and that means this community has been uprooted. Mac got the community center together with a few other people to start saving this community and bring it back together. Seeing this community come together before my eyes and become a "we" and not a bunch of "I"s was amazing. Their community value was inspiring to say the least. Mac went on to explain that just donating $10 to the Red Cross when a disaster like this occurs is not enough. Less than 10% of that even reaches the people it needs to. "Get out there, and do something! Go to these places and experience it. If you don't feel nothin', you're not gonna do nothin'" he explained. And it made sense. I'm by no means saying Katrina was a good thing, but I believe certain things happen for a reason, and seeing Mac turn from a selfish man into a selfless one, and seeing this community realize what's really important, like family and helping one another, is pretty amazing.
Onto Steve. Pictured above, you wouldn't exactly say Steve looks like the strongest man in the world. Boy, would you be wrong. Listening to Steve's stories was easily one of the best parts of the trip. With New Orleans being below sea level, Steve had about 12 minutes to get himself and his paralyzed wife to the attic and then the roof, once the water started entering the house. Luckily, he did. A boat came and rescued them both, when the medic noticed Steve was bleeding perfusely. It turns out a long piece of wood had stuck deep into his leg. Steve was so focused and so determined to save the love of his life, that he had no time to think about himself or feel pain. THAT is truly selfless. Upon arriving to the hospital, when asked if he wanted a shot to help the pain, Steve explained that they should save it for someone who needs it. In a later teary-eyed story of Steve's, he revealed that his wife of 42 years died soon after this. That pain is unimaginable to me. From the day after his wife's funeral on, Steve has not gone a day without doing community service. Literally every single day, he has been outside in the beating sun to help his community get back on its feet. Steve and Mac taught me that, although I am not weak, I am not strong. If I grow up to be half the man either of them are, I will have done a pretty damn good job with myself. Thank you for taking the time to hear their stories, and believe me, it's not the same coming from me. But I hope you are as inspired to do something for your community as I am.
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