The Eye of Your Own Hurricane

Be the eye of your own hurricane.

The first time I heard this was when I interviewed Bridgette Hester for the #GrowingHOPE podcast. She had been through some tough times but managed to find a calm despite the chaos. 

Today, I came across the notes from that interview and I needed the reminder. NOTHING went the way I planned today. Nothing has gone the way I planned for the last two years. Just when I get it all together, someone moves the middle and I have to start all over again.

The constant shifting and unending unsettledness of it all left me without direction. I still knew where I wanted to go, but I didn’t know how to get there.

I’m reminded of the time I was trying to get back to our beach condo. I must have taken a wrong turn at some point because the road ended at a little bay. I could see the condo complex across the water, but I didn’t know how to get there from where I was at that moment.

After a lot of backstepping and redirecting, I was back at the condo.

That’s how these last couple of weeks have been for me – although fear and frustration have tried to derail my focus on more than one occasion.

And then I read Bridgette’s words.

“Be the eye of your own hurricane.”

The Eye of the Hurricane

If you’ve never been through the eye of a hurricane (and I don’t recommend it), just do a quick search. I’m sure Mr. Cantori has something to share with you. Within the eye of the hurricane, you can see the sky, the wind is calm. Everything is at peace.

The Eye of Your Own Hurricane

When you are the eye of your own hurricane, you become the peace that resides within the swirling storm.

I made a plan and I was following the plan when everything fell apart around me. In the past, I would join in the chaos. After all, if you can’t beat them then you might as well join them. But I committed to being intentional – in my thoughts, in my actions, and in my choices. So I intentionally chose to put headphones on and overwhelm my senses with a heartwarming song.

And then I started dancing to the song.

And then I started laughing at the promises in the words.

And then suddenly, I was settled into peace.

I was the eye of my own hurricane.

How to Be the Eye of Your Own Hurricane

Storms are all around us – it was a stormy season that created Practical Proverbs. It was a stormy season that guided The Husband Whisperer. It was a LITERAL stormy season that left us in our current unsettled state.

Without an intentional choice for peace, I’d still be spinning in the storms. Without intentional choices each day, I’d get caught in the whirlwinds, tornadoes, and waterspouts that are always popping up. Without being intentional in what I think, what I say, and what I do, I’d just get blown away.

Let It Out

Release the negatives swirling up in the storm by journaling. Putting it down in written form will allow you to mull over and often work through it. 

Find Your Happy Place

Have a place to go that will refresh your soul. It can be a hot bubble bath or shower, digging in the dirt (also known as gardening for some), or running a marathon. Where is up to you, but find a happy place to go when things aren’t going your way.

Phone a Friend

Or if you can’t phone the friend then text, message, or send an email. Contact someone who always fills your heart with a smile. If you don’t have a friend like that, I’d like to be that friend for you. Email me! We all need a smiley friend.

Share Something Silly

A fun meme, a bad dad joke, or a silly story can bring a smile to someone else and the result is often a smile for you as well.

Dare to Cry

Watch a sad movie, or a holiday commercial (aren’t those all designed to make us cry), or that youtube video going around that you’re friend said should have a hanky warning. A good cry can get you past those chaotic moments and help you see the sun.

And speaking of the sun,

Get In the Light

Sunshine turns to Vitamin D which is essential to your health. But the warmth of the rays on your skin is also good for your peace. Make time every day that it’s possible to go sit in the sun for at least fifteen minutes. Added bonus: fifteen minutes of quiet sitting and relaxing is always good for a peace boost.

Remember Your Source

One of the best things about a Faith walk is that it defaults to Peace because you aren’t responsible for the results. Your Father already won the war – now it’s simply your job to walk out His purpose and design. Once you embrace His Grace, it changes everything. And if you’re going to dwell in peace, God’s got to be in the center of your life.

As Bridgette went on to explain that day we talked, you can only control what you can control, and focusing on the rest will just make you crazy. Put your energy into what you can do and you’ll discover you’ve become the eye of your own hurricane.

Life isn’t always rainbows and lollipops, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be always seeking the silver lining. It just means that I have to find the anchor to hold me through the storm – and sometimes get me through that same storm.

Looking for more peace to guide your day? Practical Proverbs offers tips from the Book of Proverbs that will ground you in peace so you can be the eye of your own hurricane.