I'm writing and posting this blog a day earlier than I usually do. Our area is under a High Wind Warning from late this afternoon until mid-day tomorrow. We have all been advised that there could be downed trees and power outages and that we should be prepared.
Of course, having been a Girl Scout in my youth, one who fervently embraced the motto: Be Prepared, I wasted no time in getting my tiny home in order:
- Flashlights and backup batteries - check.
- Candles (both small ones and big ones, mobile and stationary) - check.
- Little candle powered fondue to make hot water for coffee, tea, or soup - check.
- Lighter - check.
- Containers filled with water to handle drinking/cooking, washing, and flushing - check.
- Purse packed with important items like ID, bank cards, medication, etc., in the event that giant pine tree I am always writing about (the one that sways back and forth in a storm like a palm tree doing yoga) decides to come down and take out the roof - check.
- Alternate sleeping arrangement in the event that said tree mentioned above, which is outside the window next to my bed, is trying to do a complete back-bend and I'm too scared to sleep in my bed (which in a studio apartment means the spot on the love seat furthest from the big window or my desk chair propped up with pillows and a foot rest next to the front door) - check.
My Girl Scout Leader would be so proud.
We have no control over the weather, and there are many other storms in life that we have no control over either, especially if they involve the behavior or actions of other people. All that we do have control over is how we respond to those storms. The best way that I know how to do that is to follow the Girl Scout rule and always Be Prepared. A regular spiritual practice like prayer, meditation, journaling, yoga, or anything else that gives us the tools we need to respond with love, acceptance, and courage can keep a storm that is just blowing through from becoming the storm of the century in our lives. And as our Native Americans teachers taught us: "No storm lasts forever."
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get this posted in case we lose power. Then I need to pull out some heavy blankets and my Christmas flannel pj's in case we lose heat, and maybe make some sandwiches ahead of time, and, and, and, ... ok, maybe a person can be too prepared, but once a Girl Scout, always a Girl Scout.
And so it is.
