It's actually a travesty that natural disasters such as the typhoon you refer to, destroy our coveted landmarks. But with enough time, and many hundreds or thousands of years later, nature is already in the process of creating new ones.
Our time on the earth is marked by these unique moments.
As for your remark about time to yourself, I fear this a lot actually. I've never been a person to do things half board. I will either do it and commit fully, or not at all. In the case of children, I would be like you and spend all my time trying to give them the best upbringing I can. Unfortunately, I just like my own time too much, and so it's really not possible for me right now!