We had freezing rain yesterday afternoon and then last night it turned into a full-blown thunderstorm. Good grief. This is the middle of January isn’t it? We should be having snow not rain!
As the storm increased in intensity, lightening joined the thunder, and with each flash the security light in the drive got the message that it was morning, and turned itself off. After a few seconds it would register that it was really nighttime, and turn itself on again, but for those few seconds it was off, it sure was dark around the old farmhouse and I didn’t like that at all. The warmth and comfort of the security light was palpable during the storm, and each time it went out I felt a bit of panic because I couldn’t see what was going on just outside the window. I sure breathed a big sigh of relief each time it came back on because I was connected again. I could see my place in the world and know what was going on around me. That helped me feel calmer and somehow in control even though I wasn’t in control of the storm at all, just my feelings. One of the most frightening things about any situation is feeling disconnected and alone in the dark and not knowing what is going on isn’t it?
The lights inside the house flickered on and off quite a lot during the storm, so we scurried around looking for candles and matches and flashlights. I should have filled up containers with water too, but I didn’t think about that until this morning. I must remember that when we lose power here in the country we lose the water pump too. I should at least fill up the kettle and the bathtub when a storm threatens just so we have water to flush the toilet and water to drink. Oh well, I will do that next time for sure.
Last night, I tried to read as the storm ranted and raged outside, but I just couldn’t concentrate on my book. I kept putting it down so I could go to the window to look out at the “temper tantrum” going on in the great outdoors. The downpour was heavy and steady and made the laneway looked like a river of water flowing towards the house. The water pooled all around us, and it seemed like the farmhouse was floating in the middle of an icy lake. The fresh water hitting the ice base, splashed and lit up in the glow from the security light. If I let my imagination really run away with me I cold almost feel the house bobbing up and down on the waves. It was quite pretty really, but it made me sad to see all that beautiful snow being eaten up by the rain.
I so hoped it would snow instead of rain, but all my wishing and hoping didn’t change one raindrop in a snowflake, no matter how hard I tried. You could read the disappointment in my face and hear it in the tone of my voice, as I wandered from window to window looking out at the storm. John said to me “ Are you choosing to be happy?” I looked at him forlornly and said, “I am trying my best but seem to be losing the battle tonight!!” I didn’t look or sound happy at all!
I usually love a good thunder and lightening storm, but in the spring or summer, not in the middle of January. Many people want to hide in a closet during a thunderstorm. Not me. I open the curtains and enjoy watching Mother Nature do her foot stomping thing. Not last night though. I just wanted her to stop the rain dance and send some snow my way.
Around 11pm the worst of the storm had passed but the rain continued to fall steadily. I puttered around getting ready for bed and decided that I couldn’t change what was happening outside, so I would just have to change what was going on inside and focus on something positive. I was very thankful that we didn’t lose power. That made me happy. We had water and heat and were warm and dry. What else could I want? Yes, I was happy to be here at Riverwood and enjoy whatever Mother Nature had up her sleeve for me. I toddled off to bed in a happier mood and snuggled down under the blankets for a good sleep.
One key to happiness is to see the beauty in the “what is”, instead of wishing for the “what isn’t”! You miss the beauty of what life has to offer when you wish the “what is” away.
This morning I can see the dirt base on the driveway, so we lost many inches of snow last night, but this melting took care of that icy layer lurking just under the snow and now it will be much easier to get in and out of the driveway. Yes, there are positive things in every situation, we just have to really look for some of them.
I hope you can find something good in the “what is” in your life today.
1 comment:
Hi JV
Nice to get your comment on my blog this morning – thanks.
I have been following your blog these days and am very excited about your move and all that it entails for you. What a nice way for you to start the new year. Enjoy every minute of the move – even the hard ones.
I don’t know if I would be brave enough to be a storm chaser, but I do love to watch them – from a safe location. I remember one time I watched a huge storm from an upstairs bedroom window. The trees were holding on for dear life and the skies were alive with thunder and lightening. I stood at the open window and drank it all in. It was fabulous.
Two days later I was watching a program I had taped during that time and a storm warning flashed across the bottom of the screen. “ Huge storm to hit your area, batten down the hatches, take cover, run for your life” - well, that’s what it more or less said. I didn’t have the TV or radio on, so I had no idea of the danger and stood at the upstairs bedroom window enjoying the view! Sheesh!
Yes, I read Byron Katie’s book a couple of years ago. Some parts of the book I had to take with a grain of salt, but one nugget of wisdom was worth the price of the whole book for me, and I latched on to it as a truth I needed to learn and apply to my life. I go back to it again and again to re-apply it. It works like a healing salve on my frazzled nerves.
I have a vivid imagination and sometimes it takes me to places I don’t want to go and causes me hours of grief. Katie challenged me to tell myself the truth about every situation I find myself in. Not stories my imagination tells me about the truth, just the plain facts, as I know them.
Katie gives an example of sitting at home one night worrying about her daughter driving. Her daughter was late, and Katie had worked herself into a lather about what had happened to her, and how she probably killed herself or someone else and… on and on it went. Fear and worry getting completely out of control.
Katie finally stopped and told herself to focus on the truth and only the truth of the situation. Daughter late, mother waiting at home for her! Plain and simple – those were the facts.
Most of our pain comes not from reality, but from the stories we tell ourselves about reality.We must tell ourselves the truth about any situation and just list the facts, not any of our feelings about the facts. This is so hard for me to do, but it really helps me to cope with fear and my wild imagination.
Now I try to look at any situation that has me in a tizzy, to discover what the truth of it is and what is not. Boil it down to the bare facts and make myself focus only on the truth. So hard to do, but so wonderful and freeing when I do it.
You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free
This has turned into a rather long comment hasn’t it? Once I get started telling someone about something exciting I found in a book it is really hard for me to stop!!! Katie really had an impact on my life and that one gem in her book has saved me hours of anguish. Hope you mine some “gold” out of it too.
Let me know what you think of the book.
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