After the Storm

We’ve all heard that the calm comes after the storm.

It’s easy to feel like that’s true, like after the storm everything will be clear, sunny, and peaceful. Cleaned and renewed. But, if that was true, would it be a storm or just a hard rain?

When a true storm hits, there is storm damage. That damage can be internal, external, or both. You may have faced a period of back to back losses and now it’s like there’s a fallen tree in the middle of your mind. You may have taken on so much in caring for others that you lost yourself, and it’s like floodwaters holding you hostage in a stagnated period of autopilot. You may be fresh on the other side of a serious depression no one really knew about. You may be still cleaning up debris from past trauma that seems neverending.

And like the calm that seems to permeate the air when the hardest parts are over, the rebuilding phase is real too. Everything that’s been knocked out of place has to be put back in alignment, and maybe not like it was before. Some things, whether tangible parts of your life or thought forms, are completely demolished. You can feel aimless. You can feel uncertain. You can feel empty and lost like a farmer standing in a corn field that’s been completely uprooted by a hurricane.

Then, there’s the temptation to feel guilty. The temptation to feel like you “should” be happy or together or progressing more quickly because things have changed now, right?

But, I want to assure you — the calm after the storm does not mean that the hard part is over. Sometimes, the next part is even more challenging. Rebuilding. However, it is a challenge that can come with joy if you embrace the work as part of the journey.

Now is the time to plant new seeds. Develop new routines. Reassess what you want out of life. Take steps you were afraid to take before or couldn’t take because of limitations on your time or energy. It doesn’t have to be an overnight thing or a perfect process.

Like the farmer who lost his corn, you still have your soil. He can plant carrots, wheat, a fruit orchard, or a combination now. He may change his mind and grow salad greens next year. That’s okay. As long as you plant something, as long as you take steps forward in the process of rebuilding, you will grow a harvest. Any harvest is better than stagnation. Remember, you can adjust along the way.

Read books in areas that interest you or watch inspirational videos to get new ideas. Ask for support when you need it. Journal or talk to a counselor if it helps. Find a new workout schedule if that got lost along the way. Try new foods. Let your life be refilled through your actions. The storm may be over, but the rebuilding process has just begun. Be gentle with yourself and take the steps. And, if you are still in the storm, love and light to you as you traverse it.