I was planning to share a photo of a bowl of pretty pink roses and ask you how you want to harness the energy of this Capricorn full moon. That didn’t happen.

Yesterday morning I watched about a second of our local meteorologist’s FB live post. But to be honest I didn’t pay attention. So the warning he issued went right over my head. Later I drove down to Portland. The sky was clear the roads were open. Everything was fine. I was chatting (using the handsfree car speaker) with a dear friend. I commented to her that I could see big grey storm clouds in front of me so I was probably heading into some rain.

And then BAM! Torrential rain was pounding my car. It was so intense I couldn’t see more than about 20 feet in front of me. It was so loud that my friend exclaimed how noisy it was even on the other end of the line. My hands gripped the wheel while I stared intently at the road. In all of my years of driving I do not recall ever experiencing anything quite like this storm. I even got caught in a flash flood a few years ago. And while that was scary it wasn’t anywhere as blinding or fast as this downpour. It felt like I was struggling through a riptide. 

I considered pulling over. But that meant risking missing the shoulder because I couldn’t even see the side of the road for $h!t. All I could do was keep going. All I could do was slow down, look forward and keep breathing. I will be honest I was terrified. Adrenaline was coursing through my body and I was literally shaking as I just tried to keep inching forward at about 20 MPH on a major highway.

Part of me was able to stay calm despite all of this. Part of me just kept my eyes on the road and my hands upon the wheel. While another part of me imagined how I could veer off the road or get rear ended and/or side swiped by other drivers who couldn’t see my car.

It felt like it was going to last FOREVER. I feared I would never get to my exit. And yet I did. I drove off the highway and moments later the rain began to let up. In mere minutes I was safely parked and walking into my studio. 

So what did I learn from this?

Storms are temporary. Even though it might feel like the ordeal will never end when we just keep breathing and moving forward it eventually changes.

Fear lies. Intense emotions have a way of hijacking our thoughts and projecting the worst possibilities.

The Universe often offers hints of things to come. Our job is to pay attention. Sometimes we don’t. Even then, more often than not we get to the other side not much worse for the wear and tear.

We are surprisingly resilient. Storms pass and we usually bounce back.

As much as the above revelations apply to harsh weather they also apply to so many other struggles we face in life. In the midst of a challenge it may feel like it will never end, but like this summer storm they do pass. Some periods in our lives are like this. Some times we must just keep going despite our fear, despite our discomfort, despite our worries about how things might unfold.

I believe that there are golden nuggets of wisdom to be mined out of even our greatest difficulties. One of the ways I make sense of my life is by looking for the lesson I might find with each trial I endure and each experience I have. I share my process by recording the Empathic Woman’s Word of the Day Videos. I figure since these epiphanies are powerful for me they may be helpful for others as well. Aside from days when I get caught in torrential downpours and I use up all my mental and emotional bandwidth I record and post brief videos every day on my Facebook Page. I would love to share them with you. Please come over to my page, check out my videos and please comment to let me know what you realize.

SO With Brightest Blessings & Sweetest Ease 

I am wishing you perseverance, willingness and insight.

Seriously I’d love for you to join the conversation. Come LIKE & Follow my FB page and stay tuned for my Daily JEMs