Do Most People Expect a Calm Before the Storm?

We have all heard the idiom There is always a calm before the storm.

Think about that for a moment.  What it suggests is that if things are going a bit too smoothly or calmly, WATCH OUT.... The storm is about to emerge.  Many of us have experienced that, especially those of us who seem to go through periods in our lives when everything seems to be going wrong - one thing after the other.

Many of us have heard this expression our whole lives and consequently have expected the negative scenario to happen.

When things are going too well, someone might say, "Just waiting for the storm to hit -- it always does!"  And...sure enough, if we wait long enough, everything goes south. 

  

Growing up in the Midwestern USA, thunder and lightening storms happened regularly and I miss these storms. Now living in the Northwest, this is a rare occurrence.  There is something intriguing about them.  The loud claps of thunder followed by the brightness of the lightning can be terrifying and makes you appreciate the warmth of your home. These storms often come with torrential rain which can be merciless.  The rain doesn't fall - it is driven....hard. The sky is dark and almost eerie.

Many things that happen in our lives feel like thunder and lightening strikes.  Bad news can hit you without warning, terrify you and hold you hostage, until it passes.

There are also times in our lives when the news we receive assures us we are about to go through a blizzard with the wind blowing snow that deprives us of visibility.  We wonder how we will ever get back safely.  Assuredly, winter is only for a season, SPRING will come.

Often, as quickly as the storm starts, it stops.  The sunshine comes as a welcome sight and makes us glad we did not have to 'weather' the storm any longer.  

The Good News.....

                   

                                                    

This is the calm AFTER the storm.  This is a much better way to approach life.  When the storms come, and they most definitely will, we must realize deeply that each storm will pass.  They will not last.  The sun will shine. The sky will be blue again.

I have often heard someone say after a financial windfall,  "Just watch, now my car will break down....." or something to that effect.

I am sure we have all heard that "bad news comes in threes."  Does that mean that when one or two bad things happen in a row, we need to wait for that third one?

What a negative place it is to live when you wait for the storms.  How much better to realize the calm will come, after the storm.   Every.  Time.  Look closely, you may even see a rainbow!

We all have a choice as to how we approach life.  What do we expect -- the good, the bad or the ugly?   If something bad happens, do we say something like -- "just as I expected"  or "I KNEW that would happen - things were going too well?"  Do we wait for the other shoe to drop?

If we could see our lives in the light of tomorrow, how easy it would be to wait, to be patient, to understand that this too.....shall pass.  There are better days ahead - no matter how it looks.

How do you approach life?  Do you get worried when things are going too well?  Do you expect the worst.......or the best to happen?