Snow!

Right around the Christmas holidays I was excited that the weather forecast was calling for snow! A white Christmas is always fun.  I remember numerous holidays where the weather was chilly, but no snow on the ground.

Christmas came and went–and the snow never stopped falling!  Schools closed, community services closed, roads were dangerous ~ the snow just kept falling!  Some folks lost electricity, others found it impossible to leave their homes due to unplowed roads leaving them stranded.

It is in these moments when we were all challenged on how “ready” we were for a storm of this nature.  Did we have food, water, candles, batteries, snow shovels, or even better a snow blower! Were our neighbors prepared, our family members, were our  Senior Citizens prepared and safe?

When a big storm hits it can be virtually impossible to gather all you need to be successful, sustainable, and safe ~ wisdom begs us to be prepared BEFORE the storm hits.

What about in real life?  Do you think it’s important to be prepared for “the storms of life” before they arrive?  Life happens to us all and it can catch us off guard.  How can we be ready to weather the challenge and discomfort of a “life storm”?

I believe that if we live our lives with routines of self-care, relational harmony, physical health, and spiritual wealth our capacity to face challenges, changes, and concerns with greater fortitude would be entirely possible.  When we are depleted and completely unprepared for the storms of life we can easily be battered to and fro in the waves of the storm.

We have just walked through the biggest snow season that our state has experienced in over 20 years.  It came without any “real” warning and it lasted much longer than any of us had anticipated.  As folks rushed out to buy space heaters, snow shovels, snow blowers, and other necessities AFTER the storm hit they were faced with the dilemma that stores had run out of all those items.

This can be a challenge in real life; we can’t effectively prepare for life storms once the storm hits but we can make choices to live a  proactive life where we apply wisdom to the rhythms, disciplines, and habits in our lives to keep us strengthened for when storms come; because they always do.

Are you ready for a life storm?  What are your successful practices?  What changes could you make to be positioned to face future challenges with strength?

“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship”  Louisa May Alcott