Turbulence

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A bird that fears turbulence will never know how high it can fly.

― Matshona Dhliwayo

 

When you fly a plane through the clouds, turbulence often occurs. The plane starts trembling and bouncing. You see people grabbing a loved one’s hand or the arm rest, closing their eyes and praying, or even the look of panic comes across their face. But once the aircraft breaks through the clouds or the pilot adjusts the plane’s altitude, sighs of relief are heard and felt.

As a passenger on that plane, especially if the turbulence is more severe, frequent or long lasting, it can be an unnerving, even frightening experience. Thoughts of maybe this is not normal begin to dominate the mind, you feel air sick or you may begin to think the worst.

Many will have enlightened moments during these experiences making commitments to change—to not work so many long hours, to spend more time with friends or family, to take that vacation, work toward well being and a healthier life, to be more in the moment, etc.  But inevitably once the turbulence has passed and the plane has landed safely people resort back to the way they were and often the resolutions, commitments and intentions are left behind.

This happens in everyday life as well. Many times we have a scare, be it personal health situation, a close call driving on the highway, an argument or misunderstanding over which we lose a friend, a sickness or death in the family, a layoff threat at work, etc., that makes us evaluate our lives and how we can be better or change.  But often as time passes and the adrenaline from the scare subsides or as time passes and emotions stabilize, we resort back to old habits, routines and comfort zones and the promises we made to ourselves and even to others disappear.

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In times of turbulence in our lives we are making promises to ourselves when we are in distress, when there is noise and even fear.  They are reactionary and therefore are difficult to sustain. Further, it sometimes feels easier to go through your life not being an active participant, to just live in your comfort zone although you are not happy or seem to want to make change or to be driven by the noise and the fear.

It takes effort to truly reflect and understand yourself, including what motivates you and what you really love to do; to accept where you are now and to envision where you would like to be; to let go of the past and the people or things that are not working in your life; and to be clear on your intentions.

In the moment of turbulence there are moments of clarity and the commitments and promises you make to yourself are meaningful and true. They present to you what is important to you and provide you insight into the change you would like to make in your life.  But all too often we think there will be other opportunities or time to keep those promises or at least work towards them.  At best we keep them on a to-do list and at worst we let them fade away.

Turbulence in our lives—although most often not life threatening—is normal but more so it is a wake up call or reminder to pay attention to you, your life and to be an active participant in your life. They bring with them experiences that call upon you to reflect and to sort through emotions. They challenge you to live your life and experience some of the choices you have been making, and to make course corrections. They help you see the power in your abilities, to break cycles and evolve.

Embrace turbulence, but when the dust has settled and calm seems to have been restored, remember your moments of clarity during the turbulent times and put them into thoughts, words and action.

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