Calm amidst Calamity

A new sense of calm is something I've been stirving to acquire lately. I was reading an article in the magazine called "LDS Living" and it was talking about the psychological affects on those who endure disasters such as hurricane Katrina and major earthquakes like those in Haiti and Chile. There were many neat points brought up in the article, but I was interested in how those that survived and did well after such experiences were those who were able to recover with a positive attitude and cope with everyday mishaps. Everyday, I am presented with a choice to cry over spilled milk or to keep my calm and press forward. I've found greater peace and happiness are accessible if we look at the big picture, be grateful, and not sweat the small stuff. The other day I went out to our garage, which is supposed to be locked, and the refrigerator was open and there were 18 eggs out of the carton in the vegetable drawer. Yes, there was broken one. I was surprised at my own reaction, I said "Oh Whoops", thought of Celia and how much fun she must of had and quickly cleaned it up. I was glad only one egg was broken, that's not too bad and I'm so glad I caught it before it dried, or all the food was ruined from the refrigerator being open.

We all do things that affect others. Also, people around can choose to do things that cause upheaval in our regular routines. Messes happen, and the culprits can be of any age and developmental stage. How I react to such messes determines my day and how I will teach my children to deal with things that happen not according to plan. We live in a tumultuous world right now, things are in commotion and no matter what stage in life we are in, there are catastrophes of spirit, faith, body, and mind. I want to practice each day to be calm and be prepared for what life may hurl my way. Being a mother, there are lots of opportunities to practice this. Each time a child forgets a lunch at school, needs to go to the doctor, or develops a new challenge to face, we both as mothers and fathers have to be ready and adapt.

I hope practicing being calm and positive will ready me for more challenging experiences to come. Faith is also good in helping me to move forward and endure much. Just like muscles we have to exercise our patience and endurance to become stronger. Yes, prevention is important too, but for those things we cannot help, its good to decide how we will act. I want to be fit to not falter in times ahead. Celia has been going cross eyed today, we will check into that. A priesthood blessing and an appointment with the neurologist and eye doctor are on the list of things to do, calmly and with a positive attitude.