When chaos leads to clarity

I remember one time, maybe the mid 1990’s when the rains set in. We were living on a farm with creeks surrounding the property. The entrance was across a culvert and through a gate, across a trickling shallow creek and onto the track leading up to the house. The procedure for arriving home was always, drive over culvert, get out to open the gate, drive through the gate, wade back through the creek, close the gate, wade back to car and head onto the driveway track up to the house.

This was perfectly OK in fine whether, however on this particular day I drove out the gate on my way to work at 6am, my three kids and hubby still sleeping soundly and all was fine. Creek water was only up a little. After four hours of solid rain the creek rose considerably. Unbeknown to me (pre mobile phones) hubby and kids did not go to work, or school that day, being very wise, they knew they would be flooded in. They chose to stay safe and warm inside the cosy home, with the combustion stove blazing, stew on the hob and scary videos to watch (pre DVD’s)… Did I mention it was winter?

At about 11am, after work I stocked up on a few necessary grocery items. As we both smoked back then, a carton of smokes as well. Set off for home. Upon reaching the culvert and seeing the rushing water, I realised I would not be able to drive through. So being the country girl I am, ditched the car, grabbed my bag of groceries from the back seat in a paper bag and I proceeded to wade through the swirling water. The bottom of the bag got wet, away sailed my food and the smokes. I fell over trying to make a grab for them.

The creek at the gate as it was too wide and flowing fast and I couldn’t see a way across, so I continued along the creek bank, until I was just below our house where the creek narrowed and there were branches I could pull myself over. After much grunting, groaning, swearing, cussing and sheer luck, I managed to haul myself across. Drenched muddy, cranky but in one piece I staggered up the last bank and struggled to the front door.

Inside were these happy, smiling faces peering out at me. They rushed over to open the door and gaped at the wet, muddy, bedraggled, shivering drowned rat in front of them.

I was greeted by my kids with choruses of “Hey mum, guess what? We have been watching the scariest movie… Yucky! What happened to you??” Then my husband chimed in, “Didn’t you get my message at work?”

After this episode we put a plank across the narrowest part of the creek so we could walk in and out in such weather… I managed to fall off that on another occasion but that is an entirely different story. Much later we put a stone bridge in that same spot.

Ultimately, it was the chaos of that day that lead us to making that wise decision, and I think I am actually quite thankful for it!

When has disaster or chaos prompted you to do something good?