The beauty and stillness found after a shockingly magnificent storm is simply unmatched. Stepping outside for the first time it is as if for a split second the whole world has been reset. Birds happily chirping, trees playfully dancing in the wind as if the melody of life is the best song that they have ever heard. Life is good, and everything around us feels new, refreshed, and safe.
Basking in this newfound sense of starting over again we quickly forget about the terror that clenched our heart during the storm. Overlooking the memories of destruction and fear, we cast feelings of uncertainty to the wind as we admire the now perfectly clear blue skies. How amazing is that ability? How great is it to focus so closely on the beauty of creation that we no longer connect to the uncertainty that got us there. Focusing attention on the glorious shimmer of the diamond we no longer feel the intensity of the pressure needed to create it.
Thinking in terms of pressure we see how life will often challenge us. Pushing us to the edge of uncertainty while daring us to hold on just a few moments longer. It will question our will to survive through what often feels like the worst thing we’ll ever experience. I cannot begin to count the number of times I have felt like a certain time or circumstance was “THE WORST EVER”. Feeling as if existing in that space, during that sliver of time I was forever bound to whatever grievance I felt in that moment. Forgetting that as time passes circumstances evolve, I was convinced that things would never change, time wouldn’t pass, and that storm clouds would haunt my reality forever.
As the wind blew and the rain fell, my world felt dark and unkind. Surrounding me with thoughts of devastation and worry I contemplated giving up because there was no way out. In those moments I truly was living in “THE WORST EVER”. The problem with this “THE WORST EVER” kind of thinking is that when we do this we overlook the fact that things feel like the worst ever, right up until they don’t. The very idea that we can exist in a new “worst time ever” means that we have made it through the last time we felt that way. No longer connected to the same feelings of detriment, we have now grown and moved on to a new problem to fear; this is resistance in its purest form.
Resistance and perseverance exist as reminders that we can make through the windy rains to the otherside. When we get there we will see that the days directly following a storm are some of the most beautiful moments ever experienced. Filled with feelings of relief and pure happiness they are tangible moments in life that remind us that trouble doesn’t last always. Turning this cliche saying into reality right before our eyes, these days are the glimmers of hope that we need to remind ourselves of why we keep pressing on. I know many times our problems feel too big to ever go away, but as we remind ourselves of these beautiful days after the storm, we remember that good moments balance out the bad and sunny days are birthed through the rain. So grab an umbrella and don’t be afraid to get wet. Find peace in the chaos of the storm and remember that the trees are waiting to dance with you on the other side.
“The storm is an artist; the rainbow is its masterpiece”
Matshona Dhliwayo
Creative Wholeness 