“Sometimes, simply recognizing the storm allows it to pass.”

Quote courtesy of the Amala Foundation

In these chaotic times, it’s easy to think that the storm is just business as usual. We get so used to being off balance that we forget what it’s like to be in tune. We become so focused on coping with “the new normal” (no, I DON’T like that phrase) that life becomes more about endurance than about living.

Being a musician is a saving grace for me.  Music helps sustain my rhythm, and so do the friends I jam with every Monday night.  That’s really important in finding the mental endurance to keep For The Family going through our challenges.

I believe the key is to never yield to the “new normal.”  Instead, acknowledge its fake reality to the smallest possible degree.  Hold on to the real kindness that you know is in your heart.  Feel the power of that rhythm.  Take every chance you have to remember the wonder you felt as a child and stoke it like charcoal in a grill.  That glow will eventually make you feel everything will turn out all right.

When that happens, you’ll see your storm as something that does not define who you are, just what you’re going through.  Once you can be apart FROM (not a part OF) the storm…even for brief moments at a time…the kind spirit you remember as a child will gradually pull you into a calmer frame of mind.  You’ll become more powerful than the storm even if the winds still howl.  I’m still learning how to do this, but know that it really helps.

If the wonder doesn’t come right away, try hard to focus on happy childhood memories. Even if they’re few and far between, enlarge them to block out the memories that aren’t worth your time anyway.

After all, optimism is strongest when we’re children and “don’t know any better.”  We gain shelter from the storm by focusing on a positive future. Just think of some way that things can improve, even if it doesn’t seem likely.  Believing in the possibility of a positive future defines our faith. Blessings For The Family…Ward