The area where I live was hit by a category 1 hurricane a few days ago. As you can imagine, there was devastation, people didn't have electricity, there was flooding, and many trees went down. The wind was so strong that it pulled trees out from their root. Some trees had their trunks bent and broken like if they were wood sticks.
The scenario after the storm made me think of my own life. I want to be like the trees that were left standing. I saw standing trees of all sizes, and I also saw big and small trees being pulled out of the ground or broken in half. That made me think that no matter how big or small I am, if I don't have strong roots and I am not internally strong, I can be like those trees that didn't survive the storm.
In life, there are many situations that shake us like the wind shakes trees during a hurricane. The storm made me question how prepared am I to face a life storm. I started thinking that if I don't want to be knocked down every time I experience a difficult situation, I must work on my roots and my inner self. I must get to know myself better to be able to respond instead of react, to love instead of hate, to recognize my own darkness and bring light to it, to forgive, to be more compassionate, more loving, more humble, more patient, and trust more.
I know I can work on being a better person every day. I decide to work on it. I know I don't have to be perfect, I just need to do my best. I want to be like the standing tree that is flexible and capable of adapting to the circumstances and always goes back to be centered and calm after the storm. I know there will be challenges all the way and I want to be ready to learn what I need to learn, do my part in this world, and move on.
Now, let me ask you. What areas in your life do you need to improve to get stronger and be like the trees that survive a storm? Do you get knocked down every time you face a challenge? Do you feel ready to face future challenges? What will you do about it?
You may decide to do nothing, skip the page and continue to do what you always do. You may decide to stop and answer the questions I presented to you. Either way, is ok. Like my professor said, we can do things with conscious and without pain, or without conscious and with pain. The option is in each one of us. What do you choose?