It has been seven winters since my husband and I moved 5600 feet up to a rather isolated mountain home. The extremes Mother Nature presents season to season are challenging having lived in SoCal my entire life. But the positives outweigh the negatives and we adjust.
However, this past week she delivered her biggest trial yet: A ballistic snowstorm that brought down trees, their snow-laden branches weakened from days of torrential rain. Then, in the middle of a load of laundry, the power lines went down, taking out electricity for the entire mountain.
One of my neighbors described it perfectly: “It looks like a warzone up here.”
Power outages are not too unusual here, but they have never lasted more than a few hours. This one lasted six days. But who’s counting. Without a team of sled-dogs, I was stuck.
Then, in the middle of the night, a massive branch from a neighboring pine tree flew down, landing with a thud on my back balcony. Jarring me awake, I saw that it had come within an inch of crashing through our bedroom window. Knowing I could not lift it, my trembling body somehow fell back to sleep
Just so you know, I had started writing this blog prior to the weather drama. My words had been unfolding as a sweet sonnet, honoring the bountiful lessons winter provides. I babbled on about darkness and stillness bringing the elements necessary to prepare for new growth; the dormant land covered with fall’s decaying leaves receiving nutrients for spring’s inevitable arrival.
After six days without television, refrigerator, internet service and spotty cell phone reception, my theme shifted hand-in-hand with my attitude. Being forced to stop, be still and live in total darkness, my words were no longer a hypothetical ode to nature’s power.
The stillness of my inner soul was preparing for new growth. In forced darkness, any remaining hidden darkness surfaced, allowing me to discover another layer of subconscious programming in the shadows. More love than I have ever known thawed any last remnants of numbness.
Days of unpredictability and discomfort that brought fear to the surface tried to convince me to stay frozen, safely disconnected from my power. Yet, I accessed a deeper level of trust that we would be okay, that I have the tools to survive and that I was protected by something much bigger than me. Now, in 44-degree weather watching the snow melt, hearing the comforting sound of my refrigerator, finishing that load of laundry, and gratefully seeing the percentage go up as my cell phone recharges, I feel renewed.
In this new year, I will relish the season no matter what challenges it brings. I will allow nature to by my partner to develop more inner strength. I will trust that the seeds planted underneath whatever is decaying will sprout as my personal wake-up call. I will be still and savor those messages.
Overflowing with gratitude, I will attempt to remove that tree branch on my back deck. And maybe I’ll dig out my car. Oh, wait, my amazing neighbors already did!
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Royce Morales is a renowned spiritual trailblazer who has been teaching her innovative approach to inner transformation for decades. She developed Perfect Life Awakening, an empowering program of spiritually-based tools to discover and resolve roots of self-sabotaging, subconscious programming. This profound work brings enlightenment down to earth, and unlocks the door to your highest potential.
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“Want: True love, past lives and other complications” explains the eternal connection of soulmates and the lessons that arrives from them.
“Know: A Spiritual Wake-Up Call” details in a step-by-step way, Royce's profound teachings that help you get in touch with who you really are by getting to the root of self-sabotage.
“Back: Rebirth After Stroke” is Royce's personal spiritual journey after her husband's stroke that will help you through any traumatic event.
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