Surviving a Doorstep Apocalypse (one year later) | Ep.35
Show notes
One year ago, Hurricane Helene brought a thousand-year flood that changed everything here in the mountains of Western North Carolina—entire towns destroyed, highways gone, hospitals, homes, and my own apothecary lost to the waters. In this tender and very personal anniversary episode, I look back on this “doorstep apocalypse” and reflect on what I learned during this potent time. The lessons unearthed in this experience are here as a guide, not just for those who have lived through a natural disaster, but for *anyone* walking through their own personal storms. They are a reminder that even the fiercest cataclysms aren’t just disasters–but doorways into transformation
IN THE EPISODE:
(0:00) – Intro: What a “doorstep apocalypse” looks and feels like one year later
(8:31) – How disaster reveals the surprising core of the human heart
(17:14) – What crisis teaches us about time, presence, and possibility
(23:31) – Why loss rewrites the very maps we live inside
(37:16) – The “privilege” of this intense experience
(46:28) – How cataclysm can become a portal into new potential
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Thanks to iz Parshaw for this perfectly captured term “doorstep apocalypse” 🤍
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So beautifully said, Asia. This resonates so much with me. I think you’re so right about the takeaways, especially about how the communities came together to help one another regardless of background or beliefs. I still feel like weeping when I see the scars on the land, but grateful as well. We live in Fairview not far from a landslide that killed thirteen people. Personally, we were okay and were able to get out, with difficulty, so we evacuated after a few days and stayed with our children in other parts of the state, which felt totally surreal. In some ways I felt guilty about leaving, but my husband and I are in our seventies, and our electricity, which was also required for well water and cell service, wasn’t restored for three weeks. At the same time, I knew how others were suffering and going without, and it was hard being removed. Our house and cars were intact despite living in the woods surrounded by trees (thank you, elementals!), though we lost several and our driveway was blocked and new streams opened up. Through a network, we were able to keep in touch with neighbors, most all of whom evacuated, and the few remaining on the mountain who kept us abreast of recovery progress. My husband and I are still working on repairing the landscape around our house, and our well pump and filter system had to be replaced, but we were so, so fortunate. We can still see devastation around, though much improved. Like you said, I have a friend who lives on a knoll that caught tornadic winds and every tree around on every hillside was downed. It breaks your heart. The hardest of all, of course, is the immense grief of the people who lost loved ones and those who lost their homes and businesses, as you did. Everyone has gone through so much. But there has been so much healing as well. I think the planet is on the cusp of an awakening and there is much change that lies ahead. I feel like we’ve had our first initiation and can send out our love and light to others in the midst of upheaval as we birth a new earth.
Thank you so much for connecting and sharing your, and your community’s, story with Helene, Carolyn <3 I know Asia will be nodding along with so much of what you've shared—the complicated feelings, and the gratitudes, griefs, and hopes. We're so glad you and your husband were able to find shelter where your basic needs could be met and you could resource for the road ahead—so important on both an individual and collective level. Thank you for being in connection. We're honored to be on the path with you.