Storm Flying
Storm Flying, St. Augustine Beach, June 2014
Another storm. Breathtaking and dark. This beautiful beast got me thinking about the times when things are not fun. Like when a big life-storm comes and knocks you back or off your feet or totally out for a while. I woke up in one of these emotional storms last week and in the spirit of celebrate-more I decided to observe it, like I would one of our Florida summer thunderstorms, rather than resist it or fight it or complain about it which is what I usually do. I find thunderstorms not only beautiful but majestic, powerful, awe-inspiring, and energizing, and my thought was if I applied this kind of observation to my own storm perhaps I could see it in the same way, or at least get some kind of gift out of it. I decided to get up and get on with my day even though it was storming within, and went to Starbucks to do some writing.
When I'm in a storm like this, I notice my thoughts are more judgmental, especially towards myself, and I was thinking that I must come across very closed or aloof to strangers when I'm typing intensely. Remembering that one of my main desires for this summer was to meet new people, I told myself I should be more open. Not 20 minutes later a stranger walked over to me to say he has seen me here several times before and every time I have the most lovely and open energy coming off me. !! Yes. What important knowledge! Gift #1: I experience warped perception under the dark shadows of storm clouds.
As he walked away another stranger asked me to watch his dog while he got a coffee. This dog instantly became my little angel and guarded me from any other strangers who came too close. And then I laughed for the next 10 minutes as my new friend demonstrated his angel dog's ability to spring straight up in the air through bushes (I posted one of his spring-jumps on Facebook last Thursday). Gift #2: I can laugh during a storm!! This large amount of laughing didn't cause the storm to leave, but showed me I could have fun while a storm was passing over. Radical insight.
I went home to "be productive", which is a repeated stern lightning lash I'm given (from what sounds like a very manly voice inside my head) during these storms. In the spirit of celebrate-more, I decided to totally shake things up and go bodyboarding in the ocean in the middle of my work day. On the way I nearly got hit by a biker on the sidewalk, who happened to be a surf instructor and ended up joining me for a swim. How fun getting to know someone new while hanging out in salt water! Can it be this fun and easy? Gift #3: Yes it can. I can find fun and flow even during a storm!
And, as you may have guessed, the storm was gone the next day.
May you, like this insightful seagull, choose to accept the storms when they come and keep flying!
Love and delicious dark clouds,
Luci