Hurricane Sandy brought down tree branches in my yard, but the damage is minimal. It took about an hour to remove the debris. At one point I bent over to pick up sticks and could barely stand up. My back spoke to me, “What the hell are you doing? You are not in your twenties anymore. Slow down!” I admitted defeat and went inside looking like The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Sandy wasn’t as kind to a dear friend of mine. Nine feet of water poured into her home in Brooklyn. Furniture, clothes and appliances were ruined. Even the car seat for her unborn child was destroyed. Her vehicle floated…