Tropical Storm hits Aruba

𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐧

I am sitting on my balcony chair reflecting on the diversity of an atypical day on the Island of Aruba. It rained for more than a few moments!

At 7:16 this morning I caught the 10B bus to the end of its route: Arashi Beach. Every Saturday morning I attend an outdoor TaiChi class usually under the tutelage of Master Teacher Sofie Slegers. Today we would have the pleasure of enjoying one of her associates, Irene, as our leader. TaiChi always a lovely way to start the day.

This particular Saturday, however, was different. Very different. The afternoon  and night before we endured a massive tropical rain and wind storm that drenched the land, the flora and fauna, the streets and the people. When we woke up the next morning, it was like nothing so wild ever happened. We could not have been more wrong.

So off I went to the bus stop, the next morning, disembarked with an extra skip in my step, and walked to the class location. The ocean water was somewhat wild and warm, the air was fresh and cool; the wind was blowing lightly. The resident flock of a dozen colourful abandoned roosters were extra happily prancing around beyond the parking area; the pelicans were going wild at targeting their morning meal, and the tiny birds of a feather were filled with an extra bit of happiness in their hop, skip and jump around the white sandy beach. I felt the happiness all around me.

As the class routine unfolded, the ocean was sometimes wild, sometimes calm, and sometimes in between.  The class syllabus was slow and easy, with incentives to think, reflect and feel our thoughts, our heart, lungs and internal energy. It was relaxing and beautiful.

About an hour later, we all returned to our respective home bases. I refreshed my outfit, combed my hair, grabbed a beverage and towel, and set out to the beach. 

Once settled and after sharing my morning experience with family and friends, we heard a huge blast of thunder, followed by very fast and loud falling rain from an angry looking sky! It went on for at least an hour, giving us a reprieve to gather our things and return to our inside accommodations. 

Since I 🇨🇦 don’t travel to Aruba with warm clothes, staying in an air conditioned apartment isn’t the best option for a damp, cold body. I grabbed a large towel and sat out on my second floor balcony to watch the sky, the rain and the flooded ground, paired with vehicles and people navigating themselves as quickly and safely as possible. I felt good about turning what many refer to as a negative experience, into an educational one. 

At that moment I felt sure my curiosity about the essence of TaiChi and QiGong had come to fruition. I was close to it before today but now I really feel connected to its goals and objectives where you finally learn to push away the negativity that we tend to jump to (or feel) too quickly when an anomaly like a massive storm interrupts our day. Instead I pulled in the positivity that comes from it: the impressive power of the atmosphere; the bathing of the land; refreshing the air; breathing new air; smelling freshness; feeding crops; cleansing roads and pathways; the need to shift and adjust, creating and practicing Plan Bs in order to move  forward. Yes, slow down and breathe.

At that moment, I also sat there calmly and quietly listening, watching and realizing the energy in the sky exploded for many reasons: empirical, theoretical and spiritual. 

SkyWorld energy such as storms clearly impacts a multiplicity of components — human and otherwise. It created this weather system and significantly impacted this part of the Earth today, and all people and things on it. This loud and furious storm was a very effective example of testing one’s patience and endurance, and creating an awareness within us that something significant and bigger than ourselves caught our attention or needed to catch it —  and we needed to listen and learn, adjust and adapt, slow down and shift. There were messages there in that storm, lots of them, and the one that resonates most in me is to push away the negative of the experience and pull in the positive, finding and embracing the good in all things.

And now, two hours later — here comes the sun and our senses are stronger than ever. Eyes open wider, lungs happy, minds amazed and stunned, hearts smiling.

Thank you SkyWorld for the shake up and shape up exercise, and the self-test. I saw the ‘sun’ in the rain, and saw the rainbow as well — I hope others did too.