Eye of the Storm

Everyday that we wake up we face ourselves, and it is in that facing that we make a choice. The choice is either to rise defiant of the mortal desire to fade away, or to allow the flesh to drag us down into the comfortable mire of self-loathing. Whichever you choose is of course up to you; but the choice will only temporarily affect you today, but will affect you eternally, tomorrow.

A natural storm has many spiritual lessons from which we can derive some applicable teachings to our lives, and it is my wish to show you one or more of those lessons here within this writing. As always, I hope that you find this and it inspires something inside of you, and allows you to give yourself the excuse and will to become the best version of yourself that you can possibly be; the best version that you were born to be.

As you watch a thunderstorm build up, it can be one of the most serene and moving moments in your life. Growing up in the Midwest, I have been fortunate enough to have seen plenty of storms, some of them have appeared almost identical to the cover of this article. I think that we usually miss the important elements that lead up to the storm itself, and focus only on the power and destruction that occurs. These elements are equally as important as where the storm itself will take us.

The first indication that there is a storm coming is a change in the air, or that is how I have always described it. The day is passing along normally and then I would stop suddenly, the hair on my arms and neck would raise, and I could feel the pressure change in the air. At that point I would look around the sky to find the second indicators, clouds and rain bands in the distance. You could generally tell about how long you had until the storm hit, and from that moment on you would be preparing to be sheltered before it arrived. Of course dodging the storm was not always possible, so you needed to be equally educated in how to ride the storm in the worst of it.

Once the storm arrives and you find yourself in the middle, it would appear that you envisioned the literal throne of god. Nature's destruction has a way of focusing and correcting our perspectives. As the rain pours, the wind howls, the lightning strikes, and the house sways and creeks, our thoughts become of family and times lost. Why we only think of the most important things in our lives (or should be) when there is imminent danger around is beyond the scope of this writing; but you can answer that within yourself for now.

As the world seems to be being ripped apart around you, something miraculous happens. If the cell is large enough, there will be a moment of the most beautiful and peaceful weather that you may ever see within your lifetime, the eye of the storm. As you walk outside to see the potential destruction of the storm, a sudden fear grips the back of your skull, it isn't over yet. As your eyes gauze upwards, you can see the portion of the storm that has passed, but once facing the wind you behold the remainder of what is to come.

It is at this moment that we have a very clear choice. Fear that which is coming, or rest easy in the fact that we have already weathered the best the storm had to offer and stood strong. We make the same choices every single day of our lives. We choose to live in the fear of the unknown, or in the fear of loss and pain; while these feelings and emotions are absolutely real and present, we choose whether those feelings and emotions will control the decisions that we make. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to overcome it to do that which is necessary. The 'eye' gives us that opportunity. We can see what has passed and what will pass in that very moment. I have not found a single moment in time that will provide that same opportunity. I hope that the choice you make in that moment will lead you to a stronger life of the utmost prosperity.

Thank you for spending some time with me, and I wish you the very best this life has to offer.