(ThySistas.com) There are times we will do battle with various kinds of storms in our life, and truth be told we were blindsided. We never saw the situation coming. One would be thinking while, in the thick of the storm, if only I could have prepared for this situation. How is it the Spirit and Ancestors didn’t tell me this calamity was on its way to my doorstep? Many things go through the mind while fighting to survive a life storm, or a literal natural disaster storm. In many instances we learn, but at a serious cost. Sometimes we find ourselves questioning our believes, and questioning our judgement. Often times we give ourselves reasons why we might have deserved to be in said situation, but we must be the stronger for it having survived. Rarely are the lasting effects of surviving handled in a constructive manner.
Some find an answer in therapy, some in church, others in cultural submersion, and some in a constant silent. No answer is right or wrong and the same method doesn’t work for everyone. However, when we choose to look back at the storm outside of emotional attachment there is usually a very thin line of reasoning that shows us, we didn’t prepare. Preparing for a storm doesn’t always come in the form of being able to remove oneself from the matter. In many instances it comes in paying more attention to our surrounding, and listening to ourselves internally…there we often find every red flag missed. It’s not a moment for self-condemnation or judgment. Storms will always come so when we look back it’s time to learn how to prepare going forward.
Hurricane season is underway and it seems to be in full swing, we are facing our first case of tropical activity. I admit going last season was hard on Louisiana. Every time we looked up there seemed to be a storm in the Gulf and we were constantly “in the cone”. All of Louisiana took major storm hits, and so many of us weren’t prepared for the initial storm…and we didn’t have adequate time to recover before the next storm hit. If you are thinking “you didn’t evacuate in time”, believe me when I tell you evacuation is not always the answer. Furthermore, that option can be just as devastating as staying put.
Hurricane season 2020 was made worse by the pandemic, but it taught me so much about preparing for, and weathering a storm. I realized that for all I thought I was doing to prepare, I left the most important parts of myself open to foolishness. Preparedness is more than making sure there are non-perishable items, water, batteries, flashlights, and generators. It’s more than making sure you are physically prepared for the relationship storm, parental storm, or financial storm. Far too often we aren’t mentally or spiritually prepared to handle any level of storm at any given time.
There are things we can do to internally prepare ourselves for storms; we don’t always know when they are coming but we don’t have time to get it together when they do. Know how to still yourself. Even as things are getting worse around you it is important to be able to stop, take a seat, and gather yourself internally. Anchor yourself, breathe, pray, have a meditation moment, and set yourself in balance. Doing this regularly, and allowing it to become a part of your daily life, makes it easy to balance when a storm shows up. When you are not in a state of panic you can see clearly and make wise decisions. In addition to these practices, considering a cellular weather station like those you can see here could be beneficial. These devices help to keep you updated regarding weather patterns and any potential storms by offering real-time updates.
Fortification of one’s spirit adds in emotional capacity and dealing with life’s storms. This is often the preparation that gets pushed to the side as we deal with everything else that’s happening. Yet, this is often the determining factor of how, or if, we can weather a storm and come out truly stronger on the other side. I’ve learned about to items to have in stock to weather hurricanes, but I must admit the peace, balance, and stillness that I have been working towards makes me feel as though I can face anything whether I am alerted or not. Take the time to stock up internally…this is the best storm preparation, and you owe it to yourself.
Staff Writer; Chelle’ St James
May also connect with this sister via Twitter; ChelleStJames.