Gone with the Windy Wind Wind

Wow, what a week!

Where I live we had two days of hurricane-force winds and freezing temperatures that caused massive destruction.

We were without power for 24+ hours, and without internet for days (hence the late arrival of this email).

It has been an exhausting few days.

Unfortunately, these crazy wind storms are nothing new to my area - NOT fun, but not new.

However, the storm this week was by far the biggest and most destructive.

What continues to surprise me the most about these storms is seeing giant, very old evergreen trees completely uprooted and laying on their sides (or laying on whatever got in the way of their fall). These trees that provide so much shade during the summer, and bring life to the cold, colorless winter months are just gone.

I have since learned that some of these pine trees do not have a very strong root system. Their roots spread wide and far, but do not go deep. A 20-foot tree may only have roots that are a few feet deep. Because of this, it really is incapable of withstanding 90+ mph winds. It does not have the deep-rooted strength needed to remain upright.

You would never know how potentially weak these trees are from looking at them. They appear to be healthy and full of life, but that doesn’t matter when they are set on a foundation that cannot support them.

I can relate to these trees. It sometimes seems easier to me to put on the facade that everything is going well - that I have it all together. But inside my root system is weak and barely holding me up.

I believe this is totally normal and that we are going to experience times of great strength and times of weakness, but what makes the difference?

When we are aligned with God (or your higher power), we will have a much stronger root system. When we believe that we have it all figured out and don’t need that divine inspiration, we tend to feel weaker and like we are barely hanging on.

Getting in alignment is easy, but our sneaky little brains try to tell us that it is hard. Just be aware of that. Know that the brain has 3 main functions that it thinks are helpful, but that we really need to override:

1 - to protect us from danger (in today’s world danger means negative emotions) 2 - to seek pleasure (doesn’t want us to do anything that would make us feel uncomfortable) 3 - to conserve energy (just wants to take the easy route)

When I start to feel one, or all three of those going on in my life, I stop, take a breath, and decide to take intentional action from there. This is a no-judgment zone. No judgment for not noticing sooner. No judgment for letting it happen at all. I remind myself that this is normal and that the more I notice it, the easier it will be to override.

The best first step is looking at those weaknesses and asking yourself which one is holding you back the most.

Which one do you fall prey to most often?

Figuring this out will help you grow strong, deep roots!

You won’t be spread so far and will be prepared for the storms of life.