"Nature's Fury"

J and I have been enjoying some re-runs on Netflix of various shows having to do with Mother Nature and her impending 'fury' - as it is deemed. Our real fixation is on tornadoes & chasing them... I'm honestly considering adding a Tornado Tour to my bucket-list! Hey, what can I say? Some people want to climb mountains, others wish to jump out of airplanes. I happen to think it a grand opportunity to travel with expert-guides in an armored vehicle & take some amazing photos of a tornado out over the plains of the infamous "Tornado Alley".

An older vid fittingly titled "Nature's Fury"embodied a summary of all of the natural disasters that could be thrown at humanity. There was a lot of coverage depicting how we humans try to stop or prevent nature from 'taking its course' - (literally & figuratively, when applied to rivers flooding out onto the plains that have been barricaded in a futile attempt to hold the waters back...) It got me thinking - about how it applies to life in general. It's kind of a suitable analogy, really. Nature > the things we cannot control. While we can't always control what happens to us, our forethought & precaution, our response, and how we get back up again all enable us to learn and experience new things & grow as a result.

For a while there, J & I were at the mercy of our natural happenstance. We thought we were laying down well-thought-out plans to strengthen our finances for the future when we invested in a duplex together before we were married. But "nature" (read: the economy) had other plans! This was out of our control. We'd done what we needed to do to secure the home we're living in now... We took a hit, and found ourselves in an unexpectedly deep 'hole', and we slowly-but-surely dug our way out again. The light at the top was a bit blinding, and so we took a few more falls that set us back somewhat... But all in all, we've persevered. We started re-building, and making decisions that impacted us differently for all that would be forthcoming. We learned a lot in the process - and realized the benefits that came out of our unscheduled set-backs. And now we can look back and recall how we did everything we could, did so legitimately and legally, and without any need to allow it to impede our goals as we now look ahead once again.

This life isn't supposed to be easy. We all have this dream of making big-moola so we can just do fun things, and nary have a care in the world. But we all have hardships. They differ from person to person - but we all experience it no matter how 'easy' someone may appear to have it.

Sure, yeah - the economy sucks (still)... It appears that it will get worse before it gets any better. This is out of our control. But the way I see it - we have a couple of options... 1) We can hunker-down with our stored-up funds, guns loaded by our sides, and quiver when we listen to the news at night... OR, 2) We can prioritize accordingly, and continue to LIVE! I'm all about living, baby! I chinse-out where applicable & where opportunity allows... and put those funds toward the things that matter more. There is a difference between caution and giving up or giving in to the BS that tries to impose on us while we're trying to enjoy life. Attitude is at least 90% of it! I'm grateful to be in the position we're currently in, and I pray for change in this world - to include an elimination of greed and extremes - like poverty... But much like there will always be earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, & floods - there, too, will likely always be greed. Since we can't 'save everyone', we try to do what we can to help people around us and pay-it-forward. Hopefully, the circle of love will continue, and overpower the greed, just as we can apply evolving science & discovery to early warning systems and shelters to prevent the destruction of lives during natural disasters.

I just hope my girls can learn to think about the future, but live right now too. You only have today. We don't know what the future holds, and so why chance missing out?! Do what's meaningful to you - follow your heart, and let the rest fall into place. When you get knocked down, pick yourself up again, figure out the lesson, and seek the sliver lining - and move on - the stronger and wiser for it! This is today's TIP - for all the kids who will be shaping the future!

A QUOTE: "Happiness resides not in possessions and not in gold; the feeling of happiness dwells in the soul." ~Democritus

WHIDFML: Re-learning swing-dancing with the hub! (Got a couple of vids, plus trusty YouTube, for now. Perhaps formal lessons in the future??) :)