Weathering the Storms - Day 3

Guilt is part of grief.

Often when a storm comes up, it involves a loss. It may be the loss of security, a friendship, or a job. When losses occur, we may immediately think, “I had this coming because of the things I’ve done. I deserve this.” Then we go over all the things we still feel guilty about. Worse yet, we then fail to take proactive steps to improve whatever problem we’re faced with.We wouldn’t stand outside and let it hail on us, thinking we caused the storm or it was punishment for something we’ve done. Or maybe we would?Storms are challenging enough to survive. Don’t make them worse by torturing yourself. Unless you’re getting fired from your job for not showing up for work (in which case it’s a consequence created by your actions), you don’t deserve it as punishment.Some people sit and watch The Weather Channel hoping for a storm system to appear. We can get so bored or so used to fighting storms, that we hope one comes along to divert us from our lives. It can be challenging to determine which storms we’re creating, and which ones we’re not.

Challenge: The hardest thing about weathering storms can be that many of us don’t know how to protect ourselves. It’s okay to put on our rain gear. And sometimes it’s good to come in out of the rain.

From the book: 52 Weeks of Conscious Contact