Mayor Bloomberg cancelled the New York City Marathon this year and I think we all have mixed emotions. Being from Louisiana and living through Hurricane Katrina, my heart aches for what the people of NYC and the rest of the northeast are going through. I've lived in their shoes before. I've lived the devastation. But I've also lived through the rebuilding. And while I agree with Bloomberg's decision to cancel the marathon and not divert resources away from the recovery effort, I wonder if the marathon isn't exactly what NYC needs.
The thing I wanted most in the aftermath of Katrina was normalcy. I wanted my life and everything around me to get back to the way it was before. I'm sure the folks affected by Sandy are hoping for the same thing. What they'll learn is that it never goes back. The power gets turned back on, the city dries out, the gas lines diminish, but you've changed. You can never forget the lives lost, the adversity you've faced, the strength you didn't realize you had, or the bond you have with others that have survived this disaster too.
Still, 7 years later, Katrina was one or the most defining events of my life. I know that the survivors of Sandy will come together and rally to rebuild.
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