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A post shared by M U H A M M E D S A L A H (@muhammedsalah_) on Jan 14, 2020 at 6:39am PST

It was cold and dark,

rain beating against the window glass,

restless leaves rustling fast,

rusty hinges were creaking eerily.

I was shaking from dreams of the past.

I rubbed my eyes to wake myself up and

chase the bad dreams into oblivion.

In those precious hours after the storm, when everything becomes still, the air is light and clean.

The trees are heavy and tired, birds and insects have gone to sleep—nature is quiet. Worn out from a long battle. There is a sense of relief and peace that comes with the stillness. It is the resolution of a conflict in nature.

It is like an awakening. It is a new passage, a new chapter in the everlasting story of life. While every earthling is afraid of the storm, fearful of the possibility of upheaval, disturbance, perturbance, and violent change, there is a chance to take shelter. Take a pause and observe.

A storm can be beautiful in its relentless strength and power. If we are in the midst of a storm, we can run, we can hide, we can wait, and we can pray that we will escape unscathed, undamaged, and whole.

Either way, life will continue. Nature will resume from where it ceased its control, from where it paused, and life will carry on as usual.

There are things in life that are and that are not in our control. There are many directions we can take, but we never know which one is the right one.

I believe there are no right or wrong choices, not one universal truth. We walk the path that is good for us at the time, and we make the most of it.

We can control our intentions, our actions, our effort, and our investment in our well-being and the well-being of others. We can nurture ourselves and our loved ones, feed our curiosity and growth, and protect our freedom of choice.

Storms are part of our life. There will be many that roll toward us, both slowly and quickly. It’s how we perceive them and choose to react, and learn from the consequences, that matter.

During difficult times, individually or collectively, as a human race, our inner resources are undoubtedly much more important than we can imagine. Strength, human faith, and compassion are immeasurable.

Storms are personifications for challenges, big and small, that we face all the time.

How we weather the storm, how we navigate through a bad time, from breeze to hurricane, shapes our character and existence. We keep going through perseverance, hope, and working on ourselves—expanding our mind and consciousness.

After every storm, the sky will clear, and the sun will shine. We might even find a rainbow, a wish-fulfillment.