Tempest - Resurrected

As you might recall from prior posts, I have been working on some writing in regards to the notion of 'home.' 

This has proven, for various reasons, to be a bit challenging, and I am choosing to take my time and let it come easy rather than forced, especially given the nature of the segment.

In the last 2-3 years, my life started to take on a significant shift. And in the last year, everything happened to give way all at once. Everything I had ever identified as 'home' had completely disintegrated in a few fatal blows. It was both traumatic and rejuvenating.

As of July 2017, I established a little home for myself and one of my younger sisters back in our hometown on the Jersey Shore; Just about one year following my putting everything into a storage unit 'until further notice.' It seemed like a good time to celebrate my 'notion of home,' and how adapting to change and loss has laid the foundation for my new definition of what that means. 

However, as I am writing this from Austin, Texas, my sister is back home packing up all of our cherished belongings and bracing for potential evacuation from a hurricane threatening the East Coast. If it hits the coast of New Jersey, I'm afraid my little house won't be there when I get back.

Henceforth, rather than celebrating 'establishment,' I return to the root of the challenging lesson I learned a year ago; Balance is not a destination, but a daily practice. Regardless of how much work I do, I cannot expect to be rewarded with permanent accommodations. Rather, I must simply have gratitude for what I have, and find strength in my ability to carry 'home' with me. I can choose whether to be the protagonist or the victim in my own narrative.

Hurricanes are healthy for the planet in a similar way forest fires are healthy for the pine barrens. Likewise, rather than hide from, or fight against, the inevitable patterns of nature, I embrace the tumultuous energy that seems tethered to me. That energy can be destructive, but with good and measured intentions, it can clear off the parasites and generate space for vibrancy. 

In honor of all that, I have resurrected two pieces that I wrote this time last year; 'Tempest Overcome' and 'Tempest Revisited.' They feel especially appropriate because this time last year, Photosensualis made some powerful images of me taking on Hurricane Mathew. Those images beautifully illustrate the meaning to my above mentioned metaphor.

Even if you seen these posts last year, I think you might enjoy revisiting them. These editions are just a little more refined. 

I am the tempest.

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