Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain. Vivian Greene
I remember creating this painting in the middle of a storm and it brought so much satisfaction to my soul. The squall, the wind and an uncontrollable umbrella all part of the stormy experience. I recall the moment when I abandoned the paining in the heather, placed a stone over it to keep it down and cooried down, curled up sheltering my face. The squall did of course move past and left its own marks on the painting. Colours had run, some washed away and there was space for some light to emerge. My extremities were soaking wet from rain running off my waterproofs into boots and up my sleeves. I felt like a child out to play with no care of how messy it got. Might as well stick it out I thought....... the storm will pass and dry shelter will come at some point later. It was, refreshing, expressive and having no attachment to the outcome was liberating. For me there is a narration to go with this piece of work. Whether you like, dislike or are ambivalent about the painting, that is not the point. The fact is that time and time we learn that storms pass and things change and we have learned more about living through that passage of turbulent time. The weather is like many things....... out with our control. There are so many things in life that we cannot influence and we can always choose how to react. That is always within our grasp. Each stormy passage teaches us more about being resilient and if nothing else we can be sure that the storm will pass somewhere down the line.
When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about. Haruki Murakami,
Wherever the storm came from, whatever it is, how ever long it lasts, it is always a transient passage of time. There may be pain, hurt, sorrow and grief along the way. It may be hard to endure and difficult to understand. There are many things about storms that we simply cannot work out and perhaps its best not to try. The storm will still rage and do its thing and run its course. It catches us unawares, surprises us with is ferocity and its moments of seeming calm may be short lived. We will learn ways of coping, become resourceful, take one step in front of the other, get by day at a time and the turmoil will pass. We may tell ourselves that it could be worse and this is true. It is also true that “it is what it is” and having weathered the storm we can then know that we have that ability. Further down the line we can stand stronger, have more courage, faith and an inner knowing that we will be different and we will have changed. New ways of coping are discovered, stagnation is gone, there is movement and momentum and different ways of being are born. These new practices and behaviours often serve us more well and allow us to feel more confident, capable and empowered.
There may be no need to over think it all and labour over what has changed and how we are manifesting and planning to emerge on the other side. It may be enough to simply know that we have come through and feel an inner resolve knowing that you have what it takes to weather the storms.
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