Storms & Beauty

An unexpected snowstorm came through Portland.

I live on a mountain so it’s my third straight day at home.

All plans canceled.  Work canceled.  Games canceled.

But what could be viewed as a negative situation…

In turn…

I walk outside.  I find neighbors I haven’t seen in years.  We stop in the snow to talk to one another.  Kids are sledding down hills.  Neighbors are helping each other get their cars moved to safety.  And a gentle stillness and beauty resides in the surrounding area. 

There’s something about storms, in real life and metaphorically that bring people together.  That give people a reason to come together.  For some reason, we often need a reason to come together.  It’s not always natural.  When things are going ‘fine,’ we stay in our routines, in our daily rhythms.  But when a storm comes, we get knocked out of our routines.  And when we have a setback, it lends to the need for additional support from one another.    

There’s beauty in the storm.

There’s beauty in being pushed out of our own plans.

There’s beauty in a storm giving us reason to be there for a neighbor.