A Heavy Season in Jamaica and the Guilt of Being Spared

A season of long light can also be a season of waiting and watching the sky.

By Neil Solomon · 2 min read

Picture a couple named Frank and Gloria. They have a home in Jamaica, and they love the warmth, the light and the long evenings. They also know that the hot months come with a storm season. This year a big storm came close. Their house was fine. Neighbours down the road were not.

I read a personal account from someone who lived through a storm like that. The writer called what followed a kind of guilt, the feeling of survivor's guilt. They were unhurt, and they could not stop thinking about those who were.

I think this is a side of warm places that the travel photos leave out. We talk about heat and light as if they are only pleasures. A season of long light can also be a season of waiting and watching the sky.

Two feelings at once

What I took from the account was how mixed the feelings were. Relief, first. Then sadness for others. Then something harder to name, a sense that being spared was not fair. That last feeling does not go away because someone tells you it is irrational.

For a person who moved from abroad, there may be a second layer. You are part of the place and also not from it. You can leave if you want to. Neighbours may not be able to. That can sit uneasily.

Frank and Gloria talked about it after the storm.

"We were lucky," Frank said.

"I know. I don't feel lucky," Gloria said.

"What do you feel?"

"Like I want to be doing something."

There may be something they could do, and the first step is saying so.

What people seem to do with it

From what I read, the feeling eased when people acted. They helped neighbours, shared what they had, and showed up. Not to fix everything, but to be part of the place in a hard week. Several people say this is how they first felt they belonged.

It also seems wise to think ahead about the season itself. Where would you want to be during the stormiest weeks? Who would check on you, and on whom would you check? A close community can be one of the strongest parts of a place like this, and a good reason to get to know neighbours early.