NASA GOES project: Hurricane Sandy

As I write this, the frankenstorm Hurricane Sandy is about to collide with the East Coast. We’d known for days the storm was coming and now it’s here. Hopefully everyone in the affected areas has heeded the warnings and have taken safety precautions, including evacuation if necessary.

We were to have flown today through Newark, New Jersey, but our flight has been cancelled. Major bummer. Travelers have been stranded and flight schedules will take days, if not weeks, to get back to normal. But also many businesses have closed, schools have closed, and other transportation networks have halted services.

This means lots of folks, especially those outside Hurricane Sandy’s direct path, have a bit of downtime on their hands.

Time to catch up on watching TV or playing some video games?

Perhaps. Dealing with emergency situations like a frankenstorm can be a stressful time, so we all do what we can.

But also consider using this time to read a book, start thinking about your goals for 2013, or catch up on your TODO list.

Me? After dealing with my cancelled flight and resulting travel schedule disruptions, I thought about watching the news or napping. But somehow those choices felt wasteful. So instead I’ll be catching up on my reading and then hitting the mat, working toward my goal. Thanks to Hurricane Sandy, I’ll unfortunately be losing a few days off my trip, but fortunately I’ll be gaining some mat time and a chance to push all my project boulders a little higher up the mountain.

The first priority for everyone is safety, but once you and your loved ones are secure and dry, also consider using travel and schedule disruptions like Hurricane Sandy is offering as a chance to dream, aspire, and achieve.