Riding Out The Storms of Our Lives

    As we pass the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Ian and are trying to wave goodbye to Helene, I am struck by the thought of how everything in our lives, including the forces of nature, are relatable. I ponder how stormy skies can give way to sunshine and visa-versa, much like how any given day, project, event or relationship can unfold for us.

    Ian brought us destruction and chaos that has lingered, while Helene has washed away much of what we held dear and changed the land around us from familiar to unrecognizable, leaving us to stand on shaky uncertain ground. In our lives, we have seen how fire can destroy and devastate yet purify, while winds can rip and tear us apart. How do I see this as relatable in our world?  Mainly on an emotional and deep soul level. All the elements of our lives can reach in deeply and drown our souls. Relationships can be equally destructive, drifting, changing, scarring, destroying the last shreds of ourselves.

    But in all of this turmoil, each act that tears us down, opens us up to rebirth and renewal, altering our views, our perspectives of how we once thought our lives should be. It offers us the opportunity to rebuild stronger and smarter in ways we never imagined. It shapes us and molds us in new ways, allowing us to tap into the courage we’ve called upon to start again.

    When we think of the “Circle of Life”, we tend to think in terms of animals only, not realizing how much we too fit into this cycle as we move around the sun each year, how we rise and fall with the tides and how we feed our souls on the chaos and destruction that moves us forward toward the opportunity to begin again new.

    So take a minute to thank the wind as it blows through your life opening doors of opportunity.  Give gratitiude  to the fire that blends the ashes of your past into the soil of your renewal. Bless the water that cleanses you of fear and gently moves you towards your desires, and dance with the earth beneath your feet that sustains you, holding you safely and securely as you navigate the terrain of your life.

    And as you stand on the edge of the cliff of lingering confusion, let the sun warm you and recharge you with the energy you need to begin again. And as you reap the harvest of your courage, remember how every part, every encounter and every moment before, was, without a doubt, relatable.