Riding the Storm Out

You wake up in the middle of a summer night. A storm is raging outside, and you left the window open in your mountain cabin. You get up to close the window and are transfixed by what you see: the moon isn't the moon. It's larger—much larger—and a vivid orange-red color.

Instead of panicking, you sink into a calm, highly engaged sense of deep curiosity. You drop to your knees and become pure awareness.

This is the way life should be.

When the storm comes, we ride it out.

When things get crazy, we smile and brace for a wild ride.

Of course, you might also do what the media often encourages us to do: wring our hands and worry about every little bad thing that might possibly, potentially, perhaps, maybe happen sometime sooner or later.

No, strike that. Don’t engage in another cycle of fantasy fears.

A good life will always be a wild ride. No one would pay to ride a roller coaster that's flat and goes at a walking pace.

When the storm comes, appreciate its power and beauty. Be fully aware. Be fully present.

Let your calm and self-assurance be contagious. And when all hell breaks loose and adrenaline pumps through every cell in your body, welcome its energy and power.

Then, thank the storm for expanding the boundaries of your life.

That, I suspect, is how we are supposed to ride the storm out.

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I am the founder of Bend Reality and Meditate for Peace.

You can find more of my work at Kasanoff.com .