For the most part the storms have made me stronger and the Independent person I am today. I learned from my Mom if you get pushed down get back up. We figure it out not stay in the darkness!
Storms
have swept through my life
in every place I’ve ever lived.
I remember as if it was yesterday,
the gentle summer rains in Maryland
when I was very young,
and running through the grassy puddles
behind four or five houses in a row
that weren’t fenced in . . .
being sent home early from school in New Jersey
ahead of tornado and hurricane warnings,
the air still,
the sky yellow and dark . . .
rain pounding the surf in Maine,
while the sea
threatened my chair high up on the shore . . .
I remember the dust storms in Arizona,
where I could barely see three feet outside my window,
and later had wash it out of everything I owned,
the earthquake in San Francisco
after which my head buzzed for hours.
Those storm never frightened me,
but the storms that have beset my inner life
have kept me up at night,
driven me to crazy, impulsive behavior,
and wreaked much havoc on my sense of serenity and self.
Thankfully,
nature’s storms and persistent Practice
have shown me
that I need not be afraid of what goes on inside my head,
and although there is an occasional battle
often accompanied by a whirlwind of ensuing panic,
I am always brought back to Presence
and a calm sea.
I am grateful
for being transformed
a little
day by day,
rain or shine. ♥
You are strong,
dear EmmaLeah . . .
.In spite of my Practice
and my anchors,
I’m not so sure
I could say the same about me
when a really big storm threatens. ♥
Stroke clear out everything in its path and that had happened to me before. Everything fell apart in my life some years ago and I’m grateful! It showed me that I was nothing- that all my illusions were built in sand! It was super painful, but led me to dive deeply into illusions and learn how to let go! Thank you so much Universe! I love you so much .
They have made me willing instead of full of will and unafraid of vulnerability. I think of the caterpillar that has to becomes liquid gunk to turn into the beautiful butterfly.
Transformation is not something we DO. It is something we consent to. Apparently, our only job is willingness. it requires a lot of vulnerability. This VULNERABILITY is so obvious in the rest of nature but it scares the H— out of us.
Ah, so very true: “Transformation is not something we DO. It is something we consent to.” It’s so hard to be vulnerable, let go, and let nature do her work. But necessary. Thank you Carol.
So true Carol Ann ! It does scare us ! We keep transforming whether we like it or not whether we accepted or not. transformation is inevitable and there is no such thing as failure in fact, failing sometimes is one of the most bravest of all! Dare to lose and let go !
I was once in an actual tornado – a huge, awful, all-encompassing West Texas tornado that was a mile wide and stayed on the ground or close to it for a good 7-10 miles. There were lots of warnings prior, so people had started ignoring them, which is what often happens in our part of the world in the spring. But the air felt different prior to this storm hitting, at least to me. Of course I couldn’t know how big it would be or how devastating. I just knew when I stepped outside the door that this time it was different. (This was in 1979, prior to the technology available today.) Over the years since then, I have only felt the air change like that once where I was, when I knew this time was different…that a bad storm was actually imminent, that I needed to take cover. I think I have learned something similar from other kinds of storms in my life – storms that happened as part of my career, or a relationship or other situation. It doesn’t even have to be a bad one. It’s just that what I learned from one, I began to recognize the signs and feelings the next time. Sometimes I could even say to myself – “you know what this kind of storm feels like and this ain’t it.” I don’t have to go to the proverbial storm shelter every single time a cloud comes up. And sometimes I can even enjoy and be curious about these clouds, the direction of the winds, and be accountable for my response to and part in the storm.
Your ability to discern the intensity of a storm and how you have learned to respond in different ways is such a gift to yourself and those around you, Katrina. Thank you for sharing your journey so beautifully. ♥️
Yes,
dear Katrina,
once you’ve felt ‘the real thing’
you are more attuned
to what is a true disaster
and what is not . . .
the same is true for me,
as I recognized it in your words,
but never would have thought of it that way before . . .
thank you. ♥
Thank you for your sensitive differentiation of qualities to be taken into consideration, of how to deal with storms of different intensities and destructiveness. It helps to be more aware and to be inspired to possibly re-learn to trust own sensitivity. May you have a calm and peaceful day, dear Katrina.
This feels very close to yesterday’s question. On the other hand, I tried to teach my daughters when they were little girls to view thunderstorms as exciting rather than frightening, so a storm in life can be an amazing, tumultuous upheaval without being negative.
What counts as a storm in life? I’ve had twists and turns, ups and downs. I’m pretty even-keeled and don’t experience most things as “storms” even if they’re big. Something relatively small can be turned into a storm by feeding it energy and I don’t choose to do that.
Most people would likely count a divorce as a storm. My marriage to my first husband was “low temperature”: We even joked about how low maintenance we both were, but it turned out that was more taking each other for granted and not connecting deeply. When it ended after 9 years and two children it was more a quiet subsiding than a storm, a slow-moving crumbling and drifting apart and then me realizing I needed more.
That was a transformation without a storm. I had to let go of the idea that I would replicate my parents’ long, happy marriage. When I worried about what my daughters wouldn’t have, I finally realized that I was comparing their lives to my memories of my childhood, which they hadn’t had. They would have their own lives, not some less-than version of my life, and I could make their lives good in other ways than what I had experienced. I let go of the need to compare.
I dated a bit, then married again to someone I thought offered the qualities my first husband didn’t have that would give us more connection. True to an extent, but he had inner demons he couldn’t banish. That was more of a storm, with counseling and fights, but it’s so long ago all of that has lost any emotional energy it carried at the time.
I didn’t expect to marry again. Turns out third time was the charm; we’ll celebrate our 19th anniversary this year. We’ve had a storm or two along the way, but my previous experiences gave me the grounding in what I need and what I can give and we love each other deeply so we come through them and out the other side. Sunshine after storm!
Congrats on your lucky third time, Barb! This, too, is so true: “something relatively small can be turned into a storm by feeding it energy and I don’t choose to do that.” I suspect the stormy people I had mentioned in my post also can’t help themselves from feeding energy to small things. It’s a developmental/executive function thing, for which I have compassion … but still need to stay away.
I have realized that there are people who need storms in order to feel calm. And if they don’t have a storm, they’ll create one. Then, people like me jump in to rescue them. I’ve learned to avoid that entire situation.
Drea, sounds like drama in this context. Some people love it. I know I don’t. I’m proud of you for learning to avoid that chaos. There are many types of charms out there, and the “Help me” charm is one of them. It’s very energy-draining and has an affect on how we view care, because we don’t want to be taken advantage of.
Self-care isn’t selfish. Taking care of ourselves to serve others makes us more effective when helping them. One cannot pour from an empty cup. For me, I love giving. Receiving is where I struggle rooted in desires for compatible techniques. It’s what led me to string-pulling in the first place. I’ve learned to play with the cards I’m dealt with even if I get 2s and 3s. Integrity isn’t easy, but as Angela, a close friend who I’ve talked about before, told me that our lives will be easier if we do what’s hard for us.
I have two compasses in my life to guide me in the forest of life. The first compass tries to find a different direction if possible, and the second compass accepts only the possible path if changing direction doesn’t work. So, like storms, I don’t want them; I am scared of them. If I could, I would turn away from where there are storms, or I would have to accept them.
Like each of you, storms of varying intensity have certainly been part of my life. As I sat with this question this morning, two learnings came to mind. One, storms come out of the blue, sometimes expected, often not. Two, and this is the most poignant one for me, I have been able to move through storms to the other side. The other side has often looked different, required adjustments, resets, but so far, the sun has come out after the storm. 🌤️☀️♥️
I’ve talked about being closer to god and balancing humility with comfort before. I find that I’ve become more blunt and straight to the point. Not everything needs a story or contextualizing. Speaking hard truths is doable while still making others feel comfortable. A bible verse that guides me is “Life and death are within the power of the tongue” Proverbs 18:21.
Pretty similar to yesterday’s question, which I skipped because I thought I might write an entire book.
My storms have helped me grow into a better person. I saw a post on Instagram the other day, and I’ll share it here since it is pertinent to today’s question and how I feel about all of it.
From Yung Pueblo:
I thought the trauma had broken me
but really it gave my life direction
The toxicity made me
embrace communication and honesty
The manipulation made me
realign with my own power
The narcissism showed me
that selflessness is needed
The chaos taught me
to build boundaries
The hurt showed me
that healing and rebirth are possible
To fully appreciated the clear and sunny ones. Today we are diverting water into our ditch, the El Viejo. A day just like any beginning day for the past 162 years, running some water to irrigate the earth, following the water down, throwing out the detritus, with pitch forks, that has fallen or blown in the ditch. We will utilize what snow melt is available and begin anew with hope for a productive southwestern monsoon. I will invoke the spirit of Tomas Trujillo. One of the founders of the El Viejo in 1864, and the first European owner of this patch of ground, that my lovely wife Cheryl and I call home. Agua es Vida. Peace, Love & Light.
Storms have transformed me from a fearful being to someone with fear and in the same time, gratefulness and lived compassion. They have enabled me to detect and explore my weaknesses, strong panic and covered fears and in the same time also my strengths and gifts which I can freely offer now after a long time of struggling with the invisible obstacles and negative self- reflections in order to unfold towards balanced integrity, kindness, gratefulness and Love. It took a long way for a new beginning, but was worth every inch of difficulty when looking back. While having stuck inside the storm, the dark, the eye of the cycloon or however strong the turmoil might have been, to orient towards The Light which is always, always there inside as well as outside represented by kindred hearts guiding towards it is showing the way out. Having faced and finally passed the storms has possibly made me a “better person”, a better human being after all, ready to start anew with trust and faith in His Light as well as in my own integrity. Thank You most dearly for the Guiding Light which resides in You All and in All which is.
Ose, integrity is something I’m working on. No one wants our weaknesses seen in the open. What I have going for me are a laid back lifestyle with just a couple laid back piano performing jobs. I’m grateful to just clock in, play piano, and go home. It all evens out. God sees everything. He sees how piano players like me face raised hope from people and how that’s stressful enough. He’ll go out of his way to protect us. In my case, he designed me a laid back lifestyle surrounded by plenty of warm caring loving people. It’s up to me to be grateful instead of greedy and embrace all that I have.
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For the most part the storms have made me stronger and the Independent person I am today. I learned from my Mom if you get pushed down get back up. We figure it out not stay in the darkness!
Storms
have swept through my life
in every place I’ve ever lived.
I remember as if it was yesterday,
the gentle summer rains in Maryland
when I was very young,
and running through the grassy puddles
behind four or five houses in a row
that weren’t fenced in . . .
being sent home early from school in New Jersey
ahead of tornado and hurricane warnings,
the air still,
the sky yellow and dark . . .
rain pounding the surf in Maine,
while the sea
threatened my chair high up on the shore . . .
I remember the dust storms in Arizona,
where I could barely see three feet outside my window,
and later had wash it out of everything I owned,
the earthquake in San Francisco
after which my head buzzed for hours.
Those storm never frightened me,
but the storms that have beset my inner life
have kept me up at night,
driven me to crazy, impulsive behavior,
and wreaked much havoc on my sense of serenity and self.
Thankfully,
nature’s storms and persistent Practice
have shown me
that I need not be afraid of what goes on inside my head,
and although there is an occasional battle
often accompanied by a whirlwind of ensuing panic,
I am always brought back to Presence
and a calm sea.
I am grateful
for being transformed
a little
day by day,
rain or shine. ♥
💦☀️🌈🌱
♥
The storms have shown me what I am made of. I know now that I am strong and I can take just about whatever life throws at me.
You are strong,
dear EmmaLeah . . .
.In spite of my Practice
and my anchors,
I’m not so sure
I could say the same about me
when a really big storm threatens. ♥
Stroke clear out everything in its path and that had happened to me before. Everything fell apart in my life some years ago and I’m grateful! It showed me that I was nothing- that all my illusions were built in sand! It was super painful, but led me to dive deeply into illusions and learn how to let go! Thank you so much Universe! I love you so much .
They have made me willing instead of full of will and unafraid of vulnerability. I think of the caterpillar that has to becomes liquid gunk to turn into the beautiful butterfly.
Transformation is not something we DO. It is something we consent to. Apparently, our only job is willingness. it requires a lot of vulnerability. This VULNERABILITY is so obvious in the rest of nature but it scares the H— out of us.
I love how you put this,
dear Carol Ann . . .
I am a visual person
and it speaks to me of
both fear and of relief. ♥
Ah, so very true: “Transformation is not something we DO. It is something we consent to.” It’s so hard to be vulnerable, let go, and let nature do her work. But necessary. Thank you Carol.
So true Carol Ann ! It does scare us ! We keep transforming whether we like it or not whether we accepted or not. transformation is inevitable and there is no such thing as failure in fact, failing sometimes is one of the most bravest of all! Dare to lose and let go !
I was once in an actual tornado – a huge, awful, all-encompassing West Texas tornado that was a mile wide and stayed on the ground or close to it for a good 7-10 miles. There were lots of warnings prior, so people had started ignoring them, which is what often happens in our part of the world in the spring. But the air felt different prior to this storm hitting, at least to me. Of course I couldn’t know how big it would be or how devastating. I just knew when I stepped outside the door that this time it was different. (This was in 1979, prior to the technology available today.) Over the years since then, I have only felt the air change like that once where I was, when I knew this time was different…that a bad storm was actually imminent, that I needed to take cover. I think I have learned something similar from other kinds of storms in my life – storms that happened as part of my career, or a relationship or other situation. It doesn’t even have to be a bad one. It’s just that what I learned from one, I began to recognize the signs and feelings the next time. Sometimes I could even say to myself – “you know what this kind of storm feels like and this ain’t it.” I don’t have to go to the proverbial storm shelter every single time a cloud comes up. And sometimes I can even enjoy and be curious about these clouds, the direction of the winds, and be accountable for my response to and part in the storm.
Your ability to discern the intensity of a storm and how you have learned to respond in different ways is such a gift to yourself and those around you, Katrina. Thank you for sharing your journey so beautifully. ♥️
I enjoyed your storm/feelings/experiences analogy with the outside, a fair part of our home earth and the inner storms of life, Katrina. Thank you.
Yes,
dear Katrina,
once you’ve felt ‘the real thing’
you are more attuned
to what is a true disaster
and what is not . . .
the same is true for me,
as I recognized it in your words,
but never would have thought of it that way before . . .
thank you. ♥
Thank you for your sensitive differentiation of qualities to be taken into consideration, of how to deal with storms of different intensities and destructiveness. It helps to be more aware and to be inspired to possibly re-learn to trust own sensitivity. May you have a calm and peaceful day, dear Katrina.
This feels very close to yesterday’s question. On the other hand, I tried to teach my daughters when they were little girls to view thunderstorms as exciting rather than frightening, so a storm in life can be an amazing, tumultuous upheaval without being negative.
What counts as a storm in life? I’ve had twists and turns, ups and downs. I’m pretty even-keeled and don’t experience most things as “storms” even if they’re big. Something relatively small can be turned into a storm by feeding it energy and I don’t choose to do that.
Most people would likely count a divorce as a storm. My marriage to my first husband was “low temperature”: We even joked about how low maintenance we both were, but it turned out that was more taking each other for granted and not connecting deeply. When it ended after 9 years and two children it was more a quiet subsiding than a storm, a slow-moving crumbling and drifting apart and then me realizing I needed more.
That was a transformation without a storm. I had to let go of the idea that I would replicate my parents’ long, happy marriage. When I worried about what my daughters wouldn’t have, I finally realized that I was comparing their lives to my memories of my childhood, which they hadn’t had. They would have their own lives, not some less-than version of my life, and I could make their lives good in other ways than what I had experienced. I let go of the need to compare.
I dated a bit, then married again to someone I thought offered the qualities my first husband didn’t have that would give us more connection. True to an extent, but he had inner demons he couldn’t banish. That was more of a storm, with counseling and fights, but it’s so long ago all of that has lost any emotional energy it carried at the time.
I didn’t expect to marry again. Turns out third time was the charm; we’ll celebrate our 19th anniversary this year. We’ve had a storm or two along the way, but my previous experiences gave me the grounding in what I need and what I can give and we love each other deeply so we come through them and out the other side. Sunshine after storm!
The third
was a charm for me too,
dear Barb . . .
I also learned so much
along the way that made it possible. ♥
Congrats on your lucky third time, Barb! This, too, is so true: “something relatively small can be turned into a storm by feeding it energy and I don’t choose to do that.” I suspect the stormy people I had mentioned in my post also can’t help themselves from feeding energy to small things. It’s a developmental/executive function thing, for which I have compassion … but still need to stay away.
The storms in my life have given me inner strength and resiliency.
Oh course I have to give a shout out for THIS Nat’l Day -> https://nationaltoday.com/national-cheesesteak-day/
It’s true Michele, there’s nothin’ like a well made cheesesteak!
I have realized that there are people who need storms in order to feel calm. And if they don’t have a storm, they’ll create one. Then, people like me jump in to rescue them. I’ve learned to avoid that entire situation.
The ego demands more pain and misery for those folks to experience ‘their normal’, I believe Drea.
Truth.
Ah, yes, the adrenalin junkies. I avoid them too.
I think they get addicted to drama. The 12-step programs have it right with their mention of “emotional sobriety.”
Drea, sounds like drama in this context. Some people love it. I know I don’t. I’m proud of you for learning to avoid that chaos. There are many types of charms out there, and the “Help me” charm is one of them. It’s very energy-draining and has an affect on how we view care, because we don’t want to be taken advantage of.
Self-care isn’t selfish. Taking care of ourselves to serve others makes us more effective when helping them. One cannot pour from an empty cup. For me, I love giving. Receiving is where I struggle rooted in desires for compatible techniques. It’s what led me to string-pulling in the first place. I’ve learned to play with the cards I’m dealt with even if I get 2s and 3s. Integrity isn’t easy, but as Angela, a close friend who I’ve talked about before, told me that our lives will be easier if we do what’s hard for us.
Thanks Loc. I like the idea of “our lives will be easier if we do what’s hard for us.” Very prescient.
No problem, Drea. It’s a good reminder for myself too. Human nature seeks pleasure and comfort.
I have two compasses in my life to guide me in the forest of life. The first compass tries to find a different direction if possible, and the second compass accepts only the possible path if changing direction doesn’t work. So, like storms, I don’t want them; I am scared of them. If I could, I would turn away from where there are storms, or I would have to accept them.
My Ngoc, what happens happens. If the easy paths are available, we just go for them. It aligns with my “Work smarter, not harder” slogan.
Like each of you, storms of varying intensity have certainly been part of my life. As I sat with this question this morning, two learnings came to mind. One, storms come out of the blue, sometimes expected, often not. Two, and this is the most poignant one for me, I have been able to move through storms to the other side. The other side has often looked different, required adjustments, resets, but so far, the sun has come out after the storm. 🌤️☀️♥️
I’ve talked about being closer to god and balancing humility with comfort before. I find that I’ve become more blunt and straight to the point. Not everything needs a story or contextualizing. Speaking hard truths is doable while still making others feel comfortable. A bible verse that guides me is “Life and death are within the power of the tongue” Proverbs 18:21.
Pretty similar to yesterday’s question, which I skipped because I thought I might write an entire book.
My storms have helped me grow into a better person. I saw a post on Instagram the other day, and I’ll share it here since it is pertinent to today’s question and how I feel about all of it.
From Yung Pueblo:
I thought the trauma had broken me
but really it gave my life direction
The toxicity made me
embrace communication and honesty
The manipulation made me
realign with my own power
The narcissism showed me
that selflessness is needed
The chaos taught me
to build boundaries
The hurt showed me
that healing and rebirth are possible
🙏🏼
I have one of Yung Pueblo’s books. Thanks for sharing this–great connection to this question.
Yung Pueblo is very intuitive and has a beautiful way with words. I am so happy to have come across his work!
I am too,
dear SunnyPatti . . . ♥
The post you found,
dear SunnyPatti,
does really help us
to see the gifts and the lessons
we can receive
by weathering the storms
with grace. ♥
I think we gather up a little more grace each time.
Well said, Sunnypatti. To put in a nutshell, seeing both our answers today, we align.
If life is going to “life” on us, we may as well use it to our advantage and become a better version of ourselves each time 🙂
🙏❤️✨ from my heart.
Peace to you, Ose 💜🙏🏼
To fully appreciated the clear and sunny ones. Today we are diverting water into our ditch, the El Viejo. A day just like any beginning day for the past 162 years, running some water to irrigate the earth, following the water down, throwing out the detritus, with pitch forks, that has fallen or blown in the ditch. We will utilize what snow melt is available and begin anew with hope for a productive southwestern monsoon. I will invoke the spirit of Tomas Trujillo. One of the founders of the El Viejo in 1864, and the first European owner of this patch of ground, that my lovely wife Cheryl and I call home. Agua es Vida. Peace, Love & Light.
I wish I could send you some of the rain currently making its music on our roof, Joseph.
May this water
be the beginning of blessings,
dear Joseph,
for you and your lovely wife, Cheryl,
this planting season. ♥
Storms have transformed me from a fearful being to someone with fear and in the same time, gratefulness and lived compassion. They have enabled me to detect and explore my weaknesses, strong panic and covered fears and in the same time also my strengths and gifts which I can freely offer now after a long time of struggling with the invisible obstacles and negative self- reflections in order to unfold towards balanced integrity, kindness, gratefulness and Love. It took a long way for a new beginning, but was worth every inch of difficulty when looking back. While having stuck inside the storm, the dark, the eye of the cycloon or however strong the turmoil might have been, to orient towards The Light which is always, always there inside as well as outside represented by kindred hearts guiding towards it is showing the way out. Having faced and finally passed the storms has possibly made me a “better person”, a better human being after all, ready to start anew with trust and faith in His Light as well as in my own integrity. Thank You most dearly for the Guiding Light which resides in You All and in All which is.
I think,
dear Ose,
that although storms test us,
they also teach us to be stronger.
That ‘Guiding Light’
is also in you
for me,
and I am grateful for it and for you. ♥
Hugs Ose ! Lovely ☺️
Beautiful journey, Ose. ♥️
Ose, integrity is something I’m working on. No one wants our weaknesses seen in the open. What I have going for me are a laid back lifestyle with just a couple laid back piano performing jobs. I’m grateful to just clock in, play piano, and go home. It all evens out. God sees everything. He sees how piano players like me face raised hope from people and how that’s stressful enough. He’ll go out of his way to protect us. In my case, he designed me a laid back lifestyle surrounded by plenty of warm caring loving people. It’s up to me to be grateful instead of greedy and embrace all that I have.