Nebraska Flooding and Finding Hope: Thinking Out Loud #114

Happy Thursday! It's been an unbelievably long week at work. I honestly lost track of what day it was like five days ago. Honestly I'm impressed with myself that I get got a blog post up this week. There's been devastating flooding so we've been working around the clock sharing stories of devastation and also of hope. I'll share more on that later, but for now let's jump into this weeks thinking out loud (before I pass out on my keyboard)! 

1. There's no way to accurately depict the devastation that Nebraska has endured over the past week. We had a ton of snow on the ground, then temperatures warmed up, we got a lot of rain, and it lead to historic flooding. So many people lost everything. Farms that had been in a family for 100's of years were wiped out, livestock were swept away in flood waters and killed, and entire buildings swept away never to be found. It's been incredibly sad to share these stories, but at the same time I've also seen the best in humanity. People immediately began collecting items to give to those affected. Donations have been pouring in by the thousands to towns affected by flooding. I've lived in a lot of places, but I've never seen any place come together like Nebraska. It's been remarkable to watch.

2. All the flooding has made for some very long days at work. Last weekend I had to be in even earlier than normal to be on the anchor desk then spent the day sharing flooding updates and driving around getting video fo devastation. It's been an emotional week sharing so many stories, but it's been amazing to see everyone come together to help. Now that I finally have a day off I plan on sleeping...just kidding I have a mountain of laundry to tackle and an apartment to clean.

3. Dogspotting is a gift. Brent and my friends always joke I can spot a dog from a mile away (which is partly true). I spotted this adorable pup while I was on my way back from work over the weekend. She looked like such a good pup although I did not approve of her riding in the back of the pickup for safety reasons.

4. This quote hit close to home. It's been a very rough few months with lupus problems and working so much has only made lupus problems worse. It's been hard mentally, emotionally, and physically. I've been trying to stay positive but some days I feel like it's just impossible when work is insane and my body wants to pass out. I've had to learn to have grace with myself and cut back. Not going to the gym every day has been hard but I also know some days my body just needs the rest. I wish I could say I have the perfect balance but I don't, in fact I'm from having anything perfectly figured out. Grace has been my word this year so I've been trying to keep it in mind especially over these past few rough months.

Have a great Thursday and a fantastic weekend!