During this time of changes, we may feel like we are losing our power. Those of us living in New York will recover from the shock and impact, we will get our power back, we will rebuild. Those less fortunate who lost their homes, but are safe, will rebuild as well. I feel blessed that I’m alive, and that although our building does not have heat, we do have power and I’m very grateful. I’m also grateful that the NYC buses are running and that slowly but surely the subways will start running again. Many friends and so many people in NY, NJ and CT are without power, and my thoughts go out to them, and I hope that it will all be restored soon.
How can we stay balanced and centered in the midst of such chaos? On Sunday, New Yorkers living in “Zone A” had to evacuate. I live three blocks from Zone A, so it was safe for me to stay home. On Monday, I kept seeing people posting images of cities in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York, all areas already flooding, even though the worst was yet to come that evening. I confess that I was starting to feel fearful of what could happen. I was letting Hurricane Sandy and the expectations for the worst case scenario take my personal power away.
I have learned that the fear doesn’t provide hope, and it doesn’t help the energy field around us either. I made the choice to turn off my computer, and do something else. I had to take my own power back, and I painted the image I posted here. It didn’t come out as I envisioned it, as you can see from the picture I took a few months ago at a garden next to The Cloisters. But it certainly provided me with some peace and tranquility for a while. I painted with the sound of a Brazilian singer, Gilberto Gil, and the sounds of the rain and wind, which was getting stronger, slowing down, getting stronger, and slowing down, throughout the afternoon and night. While I was painting, I was singing and breathing. I was visualizing everyone safe. I was calming down my heart and centering myself, in hopes of calming down the storm as well.
I’m not sure if it helped overall, but my mood changed as the painting progressed. I was able to center myself and went back to Facebook, Twitter and the news, less stressed and less fearful. It’s a big lesson to know that if our energy is not balanced, we are not helping ourselves or the community. It takes courage to say, I can’t watch the news for now, I can’t keep reading Facebook and Twitter posts about Hurricane Sandy. I need to do something else. It takes not only courage but an incredible effort to feel different, to be centered, and to take back our own power within.
Being in touch with our own feelings and heart are the key to staying balanced and calm through chaos. How did you spend your time? Were you able to stay peaceful while waiting for Hurricane Sandy to go through? How can you take the lessons you learned from it and apply it to your daily life? Feel free to post your own experiences by leaving a comment below.
Even though getting back electricity is out of your control, getting back your power within is within your reach, when you make the extra effort. I’m wishing you all a peaceful recovery and if you need help reclaiming your power, feel free to reach out.
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