This blurry pic was taken in real-time a few days ago as this tornado went over our neighborhood.
Be sure you are living on purpose when the storm arrives!
This tornado was caught on camera by a distant bystander as it made its track over our neighborhood. At the time – we had no idea that someone from afar was making a record of the storm we survived because we were busy doing just that…. surviving.
It’s been on my mind all week. The fact that one minute we can be doing life and the next minute there can be a total upheaval that threatens our survival. Catastrophes do not fail to bring our heads out of the clouds and challenge us to put priorities in order.
Something like an unexpected weather event can loudly let you know that “YOU ARE NOT IN CONTROL”. The lights were knocked out in a moment and 80 MPH winds blew with no mercy. We sat in our dark safe room and waited for the storm to pass. It took less than 10 minutes to destroy roofs, gardens, houses, and beautiful long-standing trees. Deep-rooted trees that have stood season after season were quickly brought to the ground.
Neighbors were suddenly in constant communication offering each other assistance, tools, and shelter. Life, as we had lived it that day, was interrupted. We had to quickly pivot to adjust.
I have a bookshelf in my office that stays updated with my most recommended books. Robert Smith’s 20,000 Days and Counting has never been cut from the top 30. His quote “The amount of hours in a day represent the time that is potentially available to you…each moment is but a dab of paint you can apply to the canvas of your life”.
You see, I believe in living on purpose. I believe each one of us has a perfect destiny that includes a very intentional function for our allotted time upon this earth. I also believe that each one of us will eventually bump into the “aha” moment in our lives where we start searching for that specific design that we were created. Some find it quicker than others. Some wonder if they’ll ever find it while others don’t even realize they are already living it. I use to search for the “method” that provided the “fastest route” to my perfect life!
Each day and each life event has brought me to this conclusion. There is NOT a “get to destiny quick method.” Life is a journey of growth. We grow into our purposes. We’re like a fine wine that reaches full fermentation after several weeks. It just takes time. That time consists of many moving parts that contribute to our overall wholeness.
There is no way to predict when upheaval is coming our way. The storms of life offer opportunity to learn certain principles that help shore up the infrastructure of daily living we have built with belief systems, perspectives, ambition, physical and mental health, and relationships. It’s a broad field to keep nurtured and protected. Sadly, sometimes it takes a beating from unexpected events.
I was sad to see our neighbors and friends overwhelmed with recovery from the storm. I was sad to see nature disrupted.
Yet relationships were enhanced and we all know each other better. There have been many smiles, texts, tears, and gratefulness exchanged. Homes are already being restored and uprooted trees are now being used for other purposes.
Life is for sure getting back to normal but it’s a new normal. A normal with added experiences, a new level of appreciation, and an additional chapter to our life stories. We’re all a bit stronger and much more thankful. The next time a storm arrives may not be less scary but we will be more assured that we can handle it!
I leave you with this encouragement. Take a deep look at your present infrastructure of daily life.
Do you find joy in what you do each day? Are your relationships rich with friendship and love? Will you be the first to help your neighbor if their house falls in on them? Are you the one who takes a distant snapshot of another’s storm so they can understand what they have been through? Do you seek to understand the truth in the peaks and valleys of life? Do you fully engage in life’s adventures or do you self protect yourself from the potential risks?
Learn to live out loud. Seriously —
Enjoy the Journey – VB
P.S. Blogging is my outlet to the world. It gives a voice a vehicle to be heard. It also allows thoughts to become influential. I believe the world is waiting for the many voices that haven’t been heard. Start like I did — it’s a click away.