Rebuilding Anchorage

Today’s Motivational Monday post was difficult to write. I’m still jumping at every tremor, but I am proud to write it. My motivation this week is the community I live in, Anchorage.

On Friday, November 30th, 2018 we experienced a 7.0 earthquake that shook our city really good. Roads were split open, on and off ramps collapsed, and things inside stores were thrown around. Then, after the initial earthquake, the aftershocks kept coming. We’re here at Monday now, and the news reports say that there has been nearly 1,400 aftershocks measured. And the aftershocks are still coming. That’s a lot of shaking!

This picture shows the aftermath of the earthquake in my home office.

There were things thrown from my bookshelves, plants feel, and papers scattered.

For people who haven’t been through an earthquake, the actual physical damage in this picture is minimal. The emotional damage, however, is great. Even 48 hours after the earthquake hit, I couldn’t walk into my home office without feeling anxious, nauseous and terrified that the shaking would start again.

So I didn’t go into my office.

Instead of working, like I should have been, I avoided my office at all costs. I decided to fill my time with distractions like social media. However, instead of being distracted, I became inspired.

The Anchorage community pulled together in ways I didn’t image. Our Department of Transportation and Public Facilities people (many of whom I used to work with closely), and the Alaskan contractors joined together and started repaving and repair work almost immediately.

The government wasn’t the only business entity that jumped into action. While scrolling through Facebook, I saw multiple independent contractors offer their services as volunteer work or minimal cost. Pop up day camps were created by businesses like The Dome to help parents with childcare while the schools are closed for the week. Even artists, like my friend Amanda from Art by Amanda Rose Warren, jumped in and offered her customers to have their pieces replaced for free if they were damaged by the earthquake.

This was the motivation I needed to move past my fear. The way Alaskans pulled together to help each other, to rebuild Anchorage, made me proud to operate a business that supports these wonderful people.

After reading all of these inspiring stories and social media posts, I decided that it was my turn to step up and get back in the game. With my amazing husband’s help, we rearranged my office, got my office put back together, and AK Lean Virtual Assistance is open again for business!