Our family moved to Texas in January of 2018. This is our second summer storm season, and let me tell you everything is bigger and better in Texas!
This particular evening I was on my way to meet up with young women ages 12-18 about two hours out of the city for the last day and a half of their camp experience.
The day was lovely, and I was enjoying the solitude of the drive when I turned onto a narrow two-lane road for the last leg of my journey. As I made the turn I was confronted by a dark and ominous storm that was right between me and where I wanted to go.
It was as terrible as it looked. And since we are also in tornado country I began to watch the sky for the signs.
I switched from listening to podcasts in favor of the weather report and felt that flutter in my stomach as I considered that I was heading directly into the storm. How bad will it be? What should I do? I wonder if my daughter is OK? Would anyone know where to find me? How long will this last?
At this point, there was no place to take shelter. I would be in my car. I had three viable choices.
I could stop.
I could keep going.
I could turn around.
But what I wanted was on the other side of that storm!
I proceeded cautiously with my eyes firmly fixed on the road ahead. The rain came fast and hard, obscuring my vision. The wind howled and blew rain sideways, shaking my vehicle. The lightning flashed furiously and seemed to be getting closer. Would I make it?
In the span of 15 minutes, it was all over. 15 minutes of white knuckles, praying with my eyes open, and hoping that I would make it out dry and safe.
I have had numerous experiences like this in my own life. The storms have looked a little different but the choices were always the same: stop, go forward, go back.
Most of the time the answer has always been to keep moving forward, right towards the storm.
I remember one year during residency I was having a particularly hard time being a solo-parent with 3 small children under 5. My husband graciously offered to give it all up. He could do something different for a career if it meant that I wouldn’t be so burdened and weighed down.
It was kind, but I was determined that he would never quit. That as tired as I was, I would never quit. Some way, somehow we would both get through this. It lasted a little longer than 15 minutes, but my choice was the same. Always forward, never back.
I am grateful for these storms of life. They help me to recommit to my goals, to our goals. They help me trust that I am getting stronger and more capable. All storms eventually pass.
The next morning when I woke up and looked out over the beautiful lake I knew without a doubt that those 15 minutes of uncertainty was worth it.
So when the next storm of life comes upon you, who will you be? Stop? Forward? Back?
The best time to prepare for a storm is before you are in one. Learn the tools to keep you moving forward in uncertain times in my one on one coaching program.