Eye
of the Storm
“All
tempest has,
like
a navel,
a
hole in its middle,
through
which
a
gull can fly,
in
silence.”
Anonymous
14th Century, Japanese
All
of us have experience with folks who thrive on drama—who, when
things are calm and going well, stir the water and raise up a storm.
Some of us have even been that person—speaking for myself, of
course. I call them adrenalin junkies. They truly can't bear for
everything to rock along at a pleasant pace. If there's no chaos or
controversy, they will create it. I'll bet, right now, you are
bringing someone you know to mind and nodding your head.
Sometimes,
being adversarial is a good thing; we can get comfortable with
injustice and indifferent to the plight of others. We can view true
tragedy as simply unfortunate circumstance, and it takes the
passion of a dramatic personality to push us into action. But
sometimes, it's just disruptive. If we meet drama with drama, it
escalates. It takes a deft hand to decompress the situation, and
restore order.
We
know the phrase, “in the eye of the storm.” We've even seen it on
a weather map; an angry, red, swirling vortex with a quiet hole in the
middle. We have the ability to be that “eye,” if we so desire. In
every life, in almost all situations, there will be those who
generate drama, and those who generate calm. We create calm by
finding that place within us where the storm does not take hold; from
which we can approach the other person without adding fuel to their
fire. We can stand in that quiet center and feel safe enough to
diffuse the tempest swirling around us. I hope today you will be that
eye.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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