They say the calm comes before the storm. That isn’t necessarily true. Waters that seem completely still on the surface can have trouble brewing beneath. Calm and chaos coexist.
Storms aren’t just around us, they’re within us too. There can be clear skies outside, and a thunderstorm inside. We all have different degrees of internal chaos: unresolved conflicts, unanswered questions, unexpected changes, unsettled anxieties, untamed addictions, unending thoughts, unnerving insecurities, unmet needs, unforgiving judgements, unrealistic expectations, unrelenting stress, unexpressed emotions, unsaid words, uncertain ideas, unfounded beliefs. On the outside, we slap on a smile and go on with our daily lives, all while silently weathering our invisible storms.
But not all storms come to wreck havoc; some help reveal a latent part of you that you never knew existed. They become a chapter in your unfolding story, setting the stage for those to come. They can shape you and help you grow. Surviving the eye of the storm gives you the strength to be a port in the storm for someone else.
The coexistence of calm and chaos isn’t mere coincidence; each is vital to complement the other.