I said something a few weeks ago that sometimes people can become damaged and permanently changed beyond repair because perhaps they made a wrong turn or decision... I've had some time to think about this as well as some of my own circumstances and choices and I believe now that if you don't process your pain, disappointments and losses properly then your emotions and subconscious might lead you down a bad path.
Don't waste your life pining over a door that was never meant for you... you'll end up heartbroken over a story that was never yours and miss the one you're supposed to be living. I've said it before here but it bears repeating if it doesn't open it's not your door.
Whatever is for you, will not go past you... But I'll get back to this later...
Storms and lightening and violent storms used to be one of the things that scared the living daylights out of me (If truth be told they still scare me)... but I've learned to have respect for them with the knowledge that nature like people need to have a way of resetting and balancing... But always take whatever steps necessary to keep yourself out of harms way.
I have loved every moment of every day that I've lived in or visited a tropical places... the weather and the lifestyle suit me perfectly as most days and nights have ideal temperatures and conditions of low to mid 80's high temperature during the day and low to mid 70's at night. In Hawaii there are two main seasons... Dry... April through October and Wet... November through March. The most you get in terms of temperature variance is in February where it goes down to the mid 60's at night and into the upper 80's during the day. One of the things I love best about Hawaii is that it can be raining on one side of the island and dry and sunny on the other. Tropical storms in Hawaii are tropical cyclones that form in the South Pacific... the worst in terms of death toll was Iniki in 1992 with six deaths. Hurricanes rarely impact the islands because of their unique geography in that they are usually just outside the arm of danger and weather patterns with winds push them away as they approach. Hurricane Hector passed about 200 miles south of Hawaii in 2018.
In terms of weather conditions a Tropical Depression is an atmospheric low pressure with sustained winds of 38 - 62 miles per hour. If you observe the conditions from the window inside it would look like several thunderstorms grouped together. All tropical disturbances are a result of water vapors rising from a warm ocean to create energy to power a storm. I'm bringing all of this up for two reasons... first if you are unfamiliar with being in a tropical storm it's important to to have supplies enough to last at least 10 days to two weeks. Know the safest place in your home or hotel to be during a big storm and... I should not have to say this but... don't go outside until it's safe.
I've been thinking about all of this while we have all been locked down in place during the covid-19 crisis mostly in terms of having necessary supplies and sheltering to stay safe... When you live in the tropics you become very attuned to changing weather patterns culminating in a tropical disturbance (I can actually feel the storm coming) a tropical depression and a tropical storm...and a hurricane or typhoon being a storm with sustained winds over 74 miles per hour. I've been in one hurricane and one typhoon... they were both near the top of the list of the most frightening experiences of my life... and my best advice is if you have a chance to leave the place under threat in time... you should do so.
My other reason for brining this all up is purely metaphorical... we all (or at least we should) have emotions that can build into concerns, a depression and /or a storm and it's understanding the signs and the changes in our mental outlook and physical wellbeing that are the building blocks to navigating the issues and sorting them out leading us to a greater understanding of ourselves and circumstances. I've said this before too... I have made the best possible choices available at the time and some of them took me places that were not the right destination... other people have sometimes made the worst possible choices and it impacted my life and these are just as important to understand... it's not OK what some people have said and done and a hand full of them are no longer in my life as a result of it... but I've had to take the responsibility for fixing it and moving on... this I think is one of the key factors in not processing disappointments and sadness properly... if you hold on to it and dwell on negative thoughts and energies.... like any storm it grows and becomes worse. One of the things that I've learned from my own experiences with negative people and circumstances is that we don't always have control over our current situation... but we have complete control over our thoughts and habits... and that will impact where we go in the future.
I've had a chance to get my bearings and reset my compass as the world has had a chance to push away the toxins and pollution... I never thought I would see a day with no air pollution over the skies of Los Angeles or the canals in Venice crystal clear... I'm seeing the world much as I see myself and circumstances right now... the clouds are clearing and anything and everything is possible again...
One of the most important things I learned living in The Caribbean is... there are some things you can only learn because of a storm... it's time to start something new and trust the magic of new beginnings.
Finally yesterday was the first day of summer... and those of you who have been reading since I started this project... I am taking this time to be one of the boys of summer... See you in September. Have fun... but stay safe...Hurricane Season is 1,June to 30, November!
PS... Nicholas... I'm starting a new bucket list...
