Trying to Out Run the Storm (literally!)

Storms whip through the skies gifting us with its ability to shake things up and clear the air.

Storms have intrigued me and left me with a sense of deeper connection since I was a child.

Storms come with such a force,

putting into perspective what I have control over and what I don't.

Yesterday morning, as I left fitness bootcamp in Nashville, Tennessee, the instructor cautioned us all that a tornado warning had been issued.  My hotel was a mile away so I took off running.  The winds were whipping, blowing over cafe umbrellas, bending the trees, pushing the spotty grey clouds feverishly. 

I felt invigorated at being in the midst of the storm's chaos, running with a slight smile on my face as if I had a secret world that I had dropped into where I alone could be fed.  I was almost to the hotel when I remembered that I forgot my face moisturizer so I made a decision to head to Walgreen's - any excuse to continue this dance with the storm.

Leaving Walgreen's, I noticed the storm had kicked it up another notch as the skies were now black with lightning splashing across them and echoing thunderously all the way through my body.  Still exhilarated, I took off running toward the hotel and the grounded, practical, sane part of me knew that it was time to kick it up a notch in order to get to shelter.

I saw the wall of rain out of the corner of my eye and laughed as I began to sprint the remaining block to the hotel.  I was 100 feet from the door when the storm caught me, drenching me as if I had jumped into the lake, pelting my face with pea-sized hail and honestly, making my day with the simple yet profound joy I found in this experience.

Like a child returning home minus the fear of getting into trouble, I walked through the impeccable lobby dripping all over the polished floors, making a trail to the elevator as my shoes squeeked with each step.  The woman who shared the elevator with me was motherly, concerned for me and tried to comfort me which was so kind of her.  But I looked her in the eye, laughing and shared my secret:  I was trying to out run the storm but I am so glad that it caught me.  That was fun!  She got what I was saying and joined in on my delight, sharing that she hadn't been caught out in the rain in years but she remembered those experiences fondly.

I invite you to remember that try as we might, we can't out run the storms - literally and metaphorically.  But we always have the option to exercise our power of choice in how we view the experience.

ENJOY THE RIDE!  (Play.  Dance.  Sing.  Laugh.  Be.  Explore. Love. Savor all the moments of your life - THIS, this moment, is YOUR life.)