On our recent trip to Kona, Hawaii, we talked to a waitress about an earth quake they experienced a few weeks before we arrived. It was a level 6.7 quake and very scary for the townspeople. If you’ve been to Kona, you know that there is a bulkhead on one side of the street and the businesses are on the other side. If there were a Tsunami, the whole town would be lost. The waitress talked about her fear before the quake. She said she could tell something was wrong. “It just felt weird”, she said. She got up to use the toilet and noticed the water level was low when suddenly she felt the house start shaking. She quickly sat on the floor against a wall hoping she would escape the danger. The house shook so violently that she was thrown to the other room.
They continued to have several aftershocks in the weeks that followed. It was almost eerie, and a sense of vulnerability was in the air, in the town of Kona.
While there, we heard about the storm in our hometown in the Pacific Northwest, and we were in shock. We heard about the power outage, fallen trees, and extreme fear felt by our friends and family.
In both incidents, I was reminded of how truly vulnerable we are on this earth, and how little control we have over our environment. At any moment, we could experience a completely devastating earthquake that could end our lives. We could suffer an incurable disease or injury, or be the victims of a terrorist act. The truth is there are many areas in our lives we cannot control.
Since it would be equally devastating to live a life of fear and anxiety, what can we do? How can we live our lives, knowing this? How can we thrive? What can we really control?
We have control over how we respond and how we care for ourselves. We also have control over what we say to ourselves. In other words, when you suffer unforeseen situations, what do you do to care for yourself? What’s your inner dialog? How do you support yourself while living in an environment that is not always safe, secure, and predictable? To apply this to our daily living, what are three things you could do to support yourself every day? When will you begin?
Peace and Blessings,
Patricia
Your comments & feedback are always welcome and encouraged. For an appointment call 206-459-2898 or e-mail me at: patricia@integritylifecoach.com Home page http://www.integritylifecoach.com Copyright© 2007 Patricia Eslava Vessey…All Rights Reserved
