Maybe You’re Not Powerless When the Storm Shows Up

Last week, I was driving my daughter home from back-to-school shopping. Sounds of music filled the car as my daughter excitedly took full control of the playlist, catching me up on all the latest songs. Somewhere along the way, I remembered a package in the trunk that needed to be mailed, so we headed to a post office.

I had no idea that a quick errand would give me something to think about for the next two days.

We pulled up, stepped out of the car, took the box out of the trunk, and headed inside, casually joining the line of customers already there. As we patiently waited, I noticed a woman heading toward the door. As she exited, we suddenly heard a commotion outside.

I turned around and saw a man in a verbal altercation with someone who was out of my view. He was yelling, screaming, and calling her a name that I don’t wish to repeat, but will just say could easily have been directed at me because of my race and gender alone.

His adult tantrum lasted for a couple more seconds as he returned to his car and eventually drove away. Instinctively, I turned and looked at my daughter’s face to make sure she was okay. Her expression confirmed that she was.

Truthfully, I was surprised by the incident because we come to this shopping area often and have always found it peaceful.

Then, as if out of nowhere, my thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a woman ahead of us in line, blurting out her most fearful thoughts about what could have happened with the man. I could see her fishing for eye contact, looking for someone to co-sign what she had said. I didn’t give her my attention.

I thought to myself, “Nope, he’s not going to ruin my day!”

So I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and centered myself by deliberately feeling my feet pressed into the ground. When I reopened my eyes, the atmosphere remained the same, but I immediately sensed that my experience of it had shifted.

I watched, as if in slow motion, some people anxiously glancing at the door. Others were talking with the woman who had spoken out about what had occurred. Nonetheless, I stayed in my energy and focused on my package, waiting until it was our turn to be called.

The very next day, as I walked through the park, I noticed a sign that I pass by and see pretty much daily. For some reason that I can’t fully explain, it stood out to me like a Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in December.

Still, I turned to look at it and found myself reading it, even though I had seen it so many times I could recall it by heart.

When Thunder Roars Go Indoors.

“Why is this important right now?” I wondered. It’s not even raining.

I stood there for a moment, feeling a bit silly, but still picked up my camera and took a quick picture. Over time, I’ve learned that meaning sometimes comes after the moment when I encounter something that feels significant to my intuition.

As I walked away, I thought more about the phrase, and it still didn’t make sense why those words mattered. But my curious mind met my intuition, and I sensed there was something about it that I needed to understand.

So I started to play around with the words in my mind, and the memory of the previous day resurfaced.

I thought about thunder and how loud and disruptive the sound can be, suddenly changing the atmosphere around us. It reminded me of the man disrupting the peaceful vibe that was in the shopping center and post office when we had first arrived.

But go indoors?

I knew it didn’t mean anything about hiding, so I started to consider what else “indoors” could mean.

And just like that, clarity emerged all at once.

Going indoors looks like taking shelter within and finding a sacred space inside me where I can return to myself, center my focus and attention, and remember that I am not powerless in unsettling circumstances.

I realized that I had done just that the day before.

When the situation presented itself, I realized I was being presented with a choice. I could allow myself to be swept up in the energetic tornado happening around me, or take practical steps in real time to recenter myself and maintain my power to create the experience that I wanted to have, not what anyone else around me may have wanted or even what the man may have intended.

I reflected on how, if I chose the first, the effects of it could have stayed with me, like unknowingly carrying an invisible backpack. Something heavy that I would continue to carry with me, affecting not only my mood but how I shaped the rest of my day, dinner table conversations and even the following day.

And maybe that’s what happens when we don’t consciously allow ourselves to get caught up in what’s happening around us. We carry it with us, and it begins to paint everything we encounter afterward.

If I held on to it, I may have found myself consumed by my thoughts and reliving the experience instead of being outside, walking around and enjoying nature. I may not have been open to noticing the sign offering me the sweetest reminder.

I’ve learned there is no magic wand to wave and instantly create exactly what we want. We don’t always get to choose what happens around us, but we do have the power to make simple daily decisions about what we give our attention to, what we carry, and where we return ourselves.

Sometimes, when thunder roars, the best place to be is indeed indoors.