“When you walk out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in,” Haruki Murakami.  Continuing on our discussion of reframing and revising the past, another perspective on this is simply that we are meant to grow and evolve and the storms we face are designed to facilitate that growth.  We aren’t meant to hurt, we are meant to learn.  And there is no running away from the fact that growth is painful—we’ve talked about that often here.  Sometimes we bring ourselves back to the same situation hoping it won’t be a fight this time, or hoping that the winds aren’t as strong.  The reality is, sometimes all we are meant to do is stand in our strength and say, “You didn’t knock me down.”

Yes, the storms of life change us.  The trajectory of life is pretty ephemeral—we experience joys and losses simultaneously. We spend our precious time doing things we wouldn’t choose for ourselves for the sake of others.  We face challenges to grow and to learn.  Not to mention that life truly does move at an incredible pace.  And all of it is meant to show us how amazing this life is, to not take it for granted, to learn to really be in the moment, and to find joy.  We have made life so complicated when the point of it really is to simply enjoy it.  We get to do what brings us joy to bring joy to others.  We aren’t meant to get stuck in the storm—and we certainly aren’t meant to create our own storms, which, if we are honest, we do a majority of the time to justify certain behaviors. Life is too short to spend it miserable.

When the storms come, because they will come, learn to stand firm.  Stand assured.  Stand flexible. Stand humbled and know that you were given the chance to face it and learn more about who you are.  But once the lesson is clear, get out of the storm.  Allow the experiences you’ve faced to change you, to mold you, and appreciate that you’re moving up.  Appreciate that what you weather allows you to teach others how to navigate that as well.  You are meant to alchemize your experience into the greater good for all, to play your part, and to find your purpose.  The storms aren’t meant to break you, they are meant to teach you.