Weathering The Storms
Of Life
by Jeffrey R. Cram, Ph.D.
As the winter storms begin
to find their way back into the foothills of the Sierra’s,
this is a good time to reflect on how the storms in our own live’s
have served us. Lao Tse, one of the oldest Chinese philosophers
and poets, has frequently noted that all we need to know of life
can be found in the songs of nature.
This year, as in past years,
I have sat on my deck and watched the big storms of winter roll
through. The wind blows, and the clouds build and grow big, only
to release their healing rains upon us.
And the trees. All summer long,
they have basked in the sun of summer. The new growth of the
spring, long since giving way to golden crests of aging needles
and leaves. They have sat silently all summer, waiting only to
dance in the winds of the winter storms.
Think about it. The only way
that these trees may clear themselves from their aging parts,
of all those parts that they have outgrown and yet are still
hanging around, is to dance in the storms of life. When the winds
of the Fall and Winter storms come their way, the trees come
alive, literally. The sway back and forth, joining in the rhythms
of nature, with their branches gracefully dancing in the wind.
As the trees “surrender” to
these rhythmic forces, all that is no longer part of them is
released to fall to the ground. This is a dance of life for the
trees, and allows the dead and dying parts of them to become
dislodged, to fall to the waysides, eventually to decompose to
further support the growth of the tree. By far, most storms in
life are of a cleansing nature. Only on very rare occasions do
the storms far exceed the strength of the tree, forcing fresh
vital parts to fall as well.
I have found it very
helpful to apply these nature metaphors to our own lives. We, like the
trees, should welcome the natural storms of life that come our
way. These storms, which we all experience, serve their purpose.
And their purpose, just like the stormy winds in the trees, is
to help us let go of something that is dead or dying or no longer
serving us. And, just like the trees, we have somehow felt powerless
let go of these things on our own. We needed the disturbance
of one of the storms of life to help to shed these parts of us.
In my years of working with
people in therapy, I have frequently witnessed storms roll through
people’s lives. Usually, there is a fear that something
near and dear to them will be broken or fall away from them forever.
And the truth of the matter is that they all do lose something.
But the vast majority of the time, the part that they lose was
no longer serving them or wasn’t meant to be part of their
life. Eventually they all come to know that they were stronger
than these storms. That the vital parts of who they are survived
the storms well.
So, as you go through this
Fall season, remember that the storms you see allow the needles,
leaves and branches to fall from the trees for a good reason.
And remember that the storms that enter your own life are there
to help cleanse a part of you as well. Once you understand
that the storms are nature’s way of helping you let go
of that which no serves you, you will begin to feel lighter
and happier. Remember that this letting go process is not only
natural, but essential for life and new growth. Rather than
bracing against life’s storms, I suggest that you surrender
to their healing beauty. As they pass through you, look around
and see what it is that you are leaving behind.
Jeffrey R. Cram,
Ph.D. is
a holistic psychologist in Nevada City. He may be reached at
478-0660.
