For those that did not live in Western North Carolina in 2024, the devastation from Hurricane Helene cannot be understated. It turned WNC into a third world country – no running water, internet, cell phone service – for a significant amount of time. While you could ask anyone “how’s it going?” you knew that everyone was going through something, even if they replied with a rote “good.”

I already had a previously scheduled telephone conference set the week after Hurricane Helene. When opposing counsel called they just launched into business as usual, I was just aghast at the unawareness. But, how would he have known?

Which, we all don’t know what storms are going on with someone that’s on the other end of the telephone, behind the email, or in the text thread. It’s easy to get lost in on our own business and trudge like an elephant through conversations, without just checking in on the other person. I’ve mentioned this in previous posts, but life-changing accidents and sorrow do not discriminate. You don’t get a t-shirt to wear if you’ve survived trauma. That husband who just lost his wife and mother of his children in an auto-accident a year ago, can look like anyone else. You really don’t know what a person is going through. So before launching into whatever it is you need or want from someone, take a moment, and ask how they are doing. It may turn out that you can be that shelter from the storm, even for just a little bit.