WINDS of Change

A couple of weeks ago the movie that mirrored our lives here in Los Angeles was “The Rains Came.”  After 6 straight days of rain, we finally got a respite.  And I joked that the sequel should be made entitled “The Rains Went Away.”  I actually like rain in small doses.  I wouldn’t like to live in cities where it rains a lot.  And then the original movie reran and the rains returned.  It began to rain Tuesday night and it rained nearly all day yesterday.  And it was a little cooler this time, so the rain was cold and damp.  My poor feet felt like they were freezing and my hands weren’t much better.

As often happens, after the rain leaves, the Winds arrive.  And last night and today the winds are a-howlin’ and pitching a gale.  In some places the wind was predicted to be as strong as 70 mph.   There is hardly a particulate that isn’t flying around with abandon.  Only those things that are firmly rooted (or nailed down or under a battened down hatch) seem to be steady.

Of course this gets my old mind to thinking.  Is this any different than our lives?  Those thoughts that are fleeting seem to fly around with abandon.  Only those thoughts that are firmly rooted stick.  I was blessed for several years to attend a church that was pastured (taught in their words) by Della Reese.  A big teaching with them was constantly working on our mind to erase “old tapes” that served no good purpose.  In regards to money and career, I put in a lot of work assessing and “correcting” the way I perceived these aspects of my life.

What I know now from this journey is that I must apply the same work to my mind in regards to how I perceive myself and how I perceive others.  I am doing the work and will continue to do the work to get to the place I need to be.

Today, I am looking at the fierce winds as blowing away those things that I don’t need, those fickle fleeting ideas and perceptions that aren’t firmly rooted.  I am further analyzing those things that are firmly rooted and looking at whether I must dig them up and discard them, or do I need to water and nourish them to help them grow stronger?   I am also looking at these winds as blowing out 2010 and clearing the way for 2011 to enter with clean air!

Peace!