Bravely.Me

If you’re like me, you probably saw the clouds moving in early. You knew what they meant, but no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t avoid getting caught in the storm.  It usually starts with that little tickle at the back of your neck — something’s wrong, storms a comin’.

You check around you for some sign.  A hint as to where it’s coming from.  Anything to tell you how bad it’s going to be.  Even if you can’t see a sign, you just know something’s coming.

Then it hits.  Maybe you had the benefit of some lead time, probably not.  You’re caught out and no matter which way you turn, you’re deep in it.  Try as you might, you’re going to have to endure it.

So you struggle to find cover.  Some way to pretend this storm has nothing to do with you.  It helps for a little while, but the storm weighs you down.  It starts to affect how you view everything.  This dark gloomy storm starts to be your dark gloomy filter, making everything seem dull, maybe even foreboding.  You feel trapped.  It seems to go on forever.  So you retreat further into yourself, trying to block it out.  Trying to get a grip.

Slowly, you start to accept the storm but stop reacting to it.  Suddenly, you can see clearly.  You think, “is the storm gone?”  A quick look around shows you dark storm clouds still surround you.  You might think you’re dreaming, but you’re not.  It’s the eye of the storm.  It’s the calm amid the tumult.  The center of your chaos.

It’s where you need to be.

While you keep yourself calm in the center of the storm, you can thrive. Not just survive.  Don’t panic when the storm hits.  They can be bad, but you’ll survive it–you’ve survived all that came before.  You know there’s no use running, you probably won’t be able to outrun it for long.  Keep your head about you–calm and focused.  The storm will rage.  You’ll let it rage.  You’ll be fine.

Remember: All storms eventually burn themselves out.

I always find it incredible when the world slows for an instant.  I was gifted with one of those moments last Thursday.  After a long, crazy day I was racing to get to a meeting almost 2 hours away from work.  Our niece had delivered her baby boy the night before and I hadn’t met him yet.  I was running late, but decided on the way that stopping by the hospital to see the newest family member was more important than reaching the meeting on time.

Photo courtesy Jennifer Maiser (Flickr)

Entering the hospital, I was so excited I went back to the labor/delivery section of the floor we had been at the day before.  (Sadly, I left the hospital about 4 hours before the baby was born.)  The nurses laughed when I explained and sent me on my way to the maternity ward.  At the door to the room I knocked very softly, not sure if mom and the baby were sleeping.  Waited a few minutes, then decided I hadn’t knocked loud enough.  Immediately family was in the room.  Our niece looked great, a little tired, but happy.  The baby boy was beautiful!

It’s not that I doubted he would be beautiful, but what followed was more than I expected.  My sister-in-law handed me the baby.  With him cradled in my arm, the most amazing thing happened.  Time slowed.  For the first time in a very long time, I was exactly where I was supposed to be at that moment.  All the stress, running, and general craziness of the day melted away.  I just sat with the baby for a while.

Moments like this happen so rarely (and seem to happen less often as I get older), that I’m incredibly grateful for my sleeping bundle of blanket and baby reminder of how important it is keep to life in perspective.

-kev

p.s. BravelyMe is a project of passion.  As it grows and evolves, I invite you to take this journey with us!

I find myself watching this video of Sam Tsui (a Yale student) singing a cover of Don’t Stop Believing.  Ok, I watch it over and over again.  The passion Sam brings makes me feel inspired (plus the video is edited well and a joy to watch.)

Remember, don’t stop believing in yourself!