THE OBSERVATION BOOTH
OP / ED & PHOTOS BY ANDREA DIALECT
Whatever form of disaster Mama Nature conjures up with her sassy self, when changing her identity at will, I choose to live. Whatever man contends with as choosing to utilize nature’s distinctive black hues when painting dark, I shall survive. Be it in a crampy closet or from beneath a tarp-covered wagon of sort, me and mine. My kinfolk, my people gonna be alright as long as I’m at the helm as this woman who is the man of the house. As for me and mine, we gonna live. We’re gonna do life or die as life doin’. Humanity must live on. What about you?
LIFIN’ IS FOR GROWN FOLK
My mama always says, “Give credit where credit is due.” So that means that I have to thank my niece Timiyah for our dead-on title for this week’s draft submission turned story.
I can’t remember exactly where we were at, but we were out and about. “We” being her, her sister, and my granny’s son. I believe it was some sort of function. The three were often hired hands, though they didn’t always get paid, helping out with my photo sessions or whatever I had been doing that day. The one thing that sticks in my mind is when I was talking, as usual, with three women. The conversation was about people taking advantage – self-defense of some sort. I remember Miss Timiyah, who had been eavesdropping, barging into the huddle interjecting her two cents into those grown folks’ conversation.
When jumping in after my theatrical performance about letting the girls know that I wasn’t anyone’s punk or flunky in no sense of the word. I was giving her the eye when she began her sing-song apology as begging mercy and forgiveness. Then went on with it as she speedily replied, “Auntie, when you get mad, they better run!” And off she went, back to playing with the other two, like it hadn’t been done.
We all got a kick out of that, mostly because of the way she put me on blast – eyes wide, hands gesturing, and expressions that outdid my own theatrics. But like she said thus so it goes for Mother Nature. When she gets mad – whoa…When she gets mad, it’s something else.
Sometimes I mentally hold my breath because life, as we’ve known it, has significantly changed. I have to remind myself to breathe as I’m dragged along, tripping on the skirt-tail of change, pulled by the rough, calloused hands of the unknown.
I often say that had I been a little girl at this moment in time, those number count backs before slumber would be pretty sweet. Because daddy would be there. Since my father left us, I tend to find myself looking back at me through the eyes of that child. I have yet to cry since his passing – I mean really, really cry. Because all those sweet memories of the man keep seeping through.
Lately that reoccurring vision showed up. We’re in a prairie or a great plain. I’m looking at me through my own eyes, I’m in the back of that wagon with my five siblings and my mother. It’s a covered wagon. And I’m watching him from this little hole in the corner from the right side. My body and our body ebbs and flows and when I look around, everyone under that covering’s eyes are wide, and expressions are somber. But Daddy is sitting there back erect, hand firm.
I look again, and wait a minute, my kids and granny’s kids are in there now – my nieces and nephews. How odd. But Daddy, he’s sitting there like a warrior all by his lonesome, back erect, hands firm, posture confident and assured – his eyes are focused ahead, although the wagon sways. If that country man who was still vibrant and youthful like the country boy he was, was scared, we never knew. Julius Caesar Brown didn’t show it, and I didn’t know it. I just rode along like everyone else. Nature, with her sassy self, man or beast – my Daddy would take ’em on, head-on.
When Ms. Hurricane Helene showed up in all those states, although I hadn’t met her personally, it felt as if I had. My father’s image rushed back to me. He was truly the man of our house. What a mighty good man he was. Now I understand why he always got his plate first. That was a big deal to me when hungry and I was just a “p–s pot,” as my mother used to say – thinking I was grown when I wasn’t.
God sure has a sense of humor, because now that I am the man of the house, I now understand why he got his supper first. Before those visions of my daddy came, when I was raising the five, the vision that kept popping up was me putting the five in our closet, giving them a pep talk about being quiet and who was in charge while I roamed the house. Deep down, I’ve recently come to realize, I wanted to be in that closet with them all along. I suppose my daddy felt that way sometimes too.
There was something else noticeable when peeking from under that tarp – that moment of beauty, as so natures unhampered beauty. Touch her the wrong way, you pay the price. I look at the condition of man today and I quiver at the thoughts of consequence. The violations when tallied up builds a force of power like rockets penetrating skies. That’s when Daddy’s laugh comes through, just like it did when I was in the back of that covered wagon many times. Such laughter assures me that he had not been fighting for our survival, but for our right to love, our right to live, and our right to laugh. He fought for our freedom. Our natural-born freedom.
In the sounds of his whistle, I hear this tune. Life must go on despite the rock and sway of this wagon or the cramped space of those closets. Despite all disruption, be it great or small, despite it all, we must live.
From the back of that covered wagon, from beneath that tarp, and in between that slither of space, I saw my father’s purest form of himself when his image cast those shadows upon time and space. I gazed upon a life worth living – his and my own. Julius Brown showed me a life worth fighting for, no matter what comes, Come what may.
Whatever form of disaster Mama Nature conjures up with her sassy self, when changing her identity at will, I choose to live. Whatever man contends with as choosing as utilizing nature’s distinctive black hues when painting dark, I shall survive. Be it in a crampy closet or from beneath a tarp-covered wagon of sort, me and mine. My kinfolk, my people gonna be alright as long as I’m at the helm as this woman who is the man of the house. As for me and mine, we gonna live. We’re gonna do life or die as life doin’. Humanity must live on. What about you?
DID YOU KNOW….
Here’s a list of critical items to store for a natural disaster, organized by category:
- Water and Hydration
Water (1 gallon per person per day for at least 3 days)
Water purification tablets/filters
Portable water containers (collapsible jugs)
- Food and Nutrition
Non-perishable food (canned goods, dried fruits, nuts, granola bars)
Manual can opener
High-energy snacks (protein bars, peanut butter)
Infant formula or baby food (if needed)
Pet food (if applicable)
Comfort foods (instant coffee, tea, chocolate)
- Medical Supplies
First aid kit (bandages, antiseptics, pain relievers, etc.)
Prescription medications (at least a week’s supply)
Over-the-counter medications (painkillers, antacids, allergy medicine)
Personal hygiene items (soap, toothpaste, sanitary items)
Extra glasses/contact lenses
Medical tools (thermometer, tweezers)
- Shelter and Warmth
Tent or tarp (for emergency shelter)
Sleeping bags or blankets (thermal or emergency blankets)
Extra clothing (layers, rain gear, sturdy shoes)
Hand and body warmers
- Tools and Equipment
Multi-tool or Swiss Army knife
Duct tape (for repairs)
Rope or paracord (for tying things down)
Plastic sheeting (for windows or temporary shelter)
Whistle (to signal for help)
Fire extinguisher (small, multipurpose)
Flashlight or lanterns (with extra batteries or solar-powered)
Matches or lighter (stored in a waterproof container)
- Communication
Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA weather radio)
Extra batteries (for all essential electronics)
Solar phone charger or power bank
Whistle (for signaling)
Emergency contact list (written down)
- Personal Documents and Money
Copies of important documents (ID, insurance papers, medical records, property deeds, etc.)
Cash (small bills and coins)
Emergency contact list (written down in case phones don’t work)
Maps (of the local area)
- Sanitation and Hygiene
Moist towelettes or baby wipes
Garbage bags and plastic ties (for sanitation purposes)
Toilet paper
Portable toilet or sanitation bucket with plastic liners
Feminine hygiene products
- Lighting and Power
Flashlights (with extra batteries)
Battery-powered lanterns
Glow sticks
Extra batteries (for all devices)
- Transportation and Navigation
Gasoline (extra fuel if you have a generator or vehicle)
Bicycle or other alternative transportation
Map and compass
- Special Needs
Baby supplies (diapers, formula, baby wipes)
Pet supplies (leash, food, carrier)
Elderly care items (hearing aid batteries, medical supplies)
- Security
Self-defense tools (pepper spray, etc.)
Locks (padlocks or chains for securing items)
Having these essential supplies ready will increase your resilience during a disaster and help ensure the safety and well-being of you and your loved ones.
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