This week, where we live on the NorthWest Coast, the predicted weather yesterday was the “worst storm of the century”…It was supposed to have 12 meter waves and torrential rain, 100km/hr wind: hurricane, cyclones or tsunamis. 12 ferry routes were fully cancelled in anticipation of the swells and wind.
Well, the storm came, and it was windy. There were a few trees that fell, and the power was out for 4 hours-only in one neighbourhood. Overall it was pretty peaceful. The waves never did get that high, the thunder and lightning didn’t get that aggressive, the wind never reached that speed. The metaphor that I was considering as a lesson for myself in regards to this was around preparation.
There will be storms, and it is wise to prepare. But when is the anticipation of the storm and the anxiety of preparation stealing the present moment from us without our even noticing? When the storms are coming, it would be a natural time to hibernate: get our candles out, the boardgames, the books, the PJs and slippers. Make sure that you have a fire or know someplace warm you can shelter with. Storms can come in many forms and looking around our lives for where the love is, the support is, the resources are, the invitations to share shelter….the storms clarify for us our community, our family: blood or chosen.
Storms force us to take stock of our lives in a very urgent way. They also invite us to assess and define community, align our priorities and supercharge our gratitude for mundane blessings: like good construction and wood stoves (: At the same time, we cannot spend our time and our lives running around preparing for storms. There is a point at which the only thing left to do is surrender and ride it out. Get snuggled in with our loved ones and pray to whichever benevolent force our faith resonates with. There is a beauty in the vortex of the storm: that quiet epicentre, where we all can choose who we will be regardless of external circumstances.
Questions for self reflection:
1. In the urgency of an impending storm: could my thoughts be more reflective rather than reactive?
2. If I see myself as the vortex or quiet epicentre of the storm: how would I want to manage my own energy so that I radiate out intentionally?
3. How do I prepare for storms that are predictable in my near future so that when the time comes to face the storm, I am adequately prepared?