Calm of the storm

Shortly after my alarm goes off at 5am, I hear the shrill cry of an Emergency Alert emanate from my iPhone. 

We knew a storm was coming, but tornados? This bad? This close? 

I’m lying in bed on the second floor of my humble home, listening as massive pieces of hail pound my windows. I ought to make moves; downstairs is likely safer. I’d like to shower, but that would have to happen upstairs (and if a tornado were to rip off my roof, the shower is the last place I’d like to be…).

So I make my way to the comfy armchair in my living room on the first floor. It’s pitch black, save for flashes of lightning illuminating the room ever so briefly.

I sit. I sit and message a few folks on Instagram, strangers on apps. How are they holding up in the storm? 

At 5:30 my family group chat comes alive; is everyone safe? 

The power goes out at 5:45. Drat…I missed my opportunity to shower. 

I’m at a loss for what to do in the dark. I read online about Ayurvedic rice congee, somehow suggested from a Facebook post. 

Footage starts rolling in of the damage done within a mile of my own home. My mom said she started shaking when she saw how close the tornado came to my residence. 

Eventually things calm, power returns, and I hear warnings that the second round is coming soon, likely more intense than the first.

I decide to meditate through this round. It’s hard to ground myself while remaining on alert just in case, but not impossible. My eyes are suddenly burst open by a flash of lightning. Facing windowed French doors likely wasn’t the best move, so I reposition myself, mid-meditation, to the hallway just above the stairs.

I reconnect with my center and hear the message meant for me today (and everyday if we’re being honest): 

Surrender. 

That’s what it’s about. I made the New Year’s resolution to “maintain internal peace despite external circumstances”, after all. What better opportunity to practice than in prayer during a threatening storm on an early Tuesday morning?

Surrender. 

Let go. Let God. 

It’s not just the storm from which I’m relinquishing control - it’s all of life. 

Oddly enough, I don’t feel afraid. Death would be convenient. A worse case scenario would be material or personal damage for which I would have to deal with the aftermath. I’m not particularly concerned, though; not for myself anyway. I know I’m shielded by a bubble of Divine protection, and my status in meditation only makes it stronger. 

For those who are affected, my prayer is that they, too, feel peace. That they learn whatever life lessons they are meant to learn from this experience. 

They’ll find their way. 

By 9:00am the excitement is over. It’s back to work, back to life. Off to Fresh Market. Typical Tuesday.