The Calm Before The Storm

My favorite times are the calms before the storms. The weather is so perfect. The sky is always so clear and there is not a cloud to be seen. The air is so crisp and there is a light breeze. It is perfect.



A sense of clarity accompanies it. However, I find these nights to be bittersweet. In these calm, pristine moments, it is hard to ignore the storm that you know will inevitably come.

The same idea carries over in life. When things in life are going really good and you begin to get comfortable and everything seems like it is so clear--it is bound to change. A "storm" will come. There really is no avoiding it. Sometimes these storms seem like they are too much to bear, but as we go through life enduring them, we get stronger. We dig deeper roots. A tree's roots do not grow unless they are forced to cling on. Storms are what make trees stronger.




We too become stronger by going through the trials and adversities in our lives. With every hardship we discover just how far we can push ourselves and just how much we can handle. We learn lessons about our strengths and more importantly our limitations.

The calm before the storm is a wonderful time and should be enjoyed, but it should not be forgotten that the greatest benefits come from enduring the storms.

Deja Vu

What is Deja Vu? Is it, like some scientists say, simply a mismatching in the brain that causes the brain to mistake the present for the past? Or are you willing to look beyond the science, and delve into a far more creative and intriguing theory-- my theory.

I was thinking about all the times that I have had deja vu, and I realized that all of the experiences had one thing in common-- they were all completely insignificant. There was nothing special about any of the moments, and they were far from life-changing.

I have decided that there are two types of deja-vu:

1. This feeling of deja vu is like a flash of lightning, so fast that if you blink you might miss that feeling of familiarity. Often times this type of deja vu has very little details and it really only consists of the feeling of being in that place or situation before.

2. This feeling of deja vu lasts a lot longer. I am able to notice all of the details--who is there, what I am doing, wearing, saying etc... Sometimes this deja vu lasts long enough where I get to a point where I don't necessarily know what is going to happen next, but I am not in the least bit surprised at what does happen.

So what does all of this mean? Looking at it from a non-scientific perspective, this is what I have come up with.

I think that deja vu, along with some of our dreams (I have found that sometimes my deja vu moments feel like they have been in my dreams), is a way for God to communicate with us. Maybe its just wishful thinking, but I have decided to believe that Deja Vu is a little pat on the back; it is God letting us know that we are in the right place at the right time. If you think about it, when the deja vu is something so meaningless, why do we have it? Isn't it comforting to think that maybe we have it so that we know we are not off the beaten path? Even if my "theory" is completely bogus, which to be frank it probably is, wouldn't it be nice to simply choose to believe it? I would rather believe that deja vu is a confirmation that I am where I am supposed to be than believe that my brain is just getting confused. I choose to believe in the more intriguing story instead of the one that is plausible. But that may just be me......