Weathering the Storm

“We are all weathering the same storm, but we’re all in different boats. Some of us are in a kayak, while some of us are in a cruise ship.” 

Patrice Washington shared this quote, via a pastor who had shared it with her, on a recent podcast episode with Kate and Mike Northrup. This was one of the most resonant metaphors I’ve heard for this time. The storm feels scary for everyone. And, some people’s journeys are more difficult than others. 

If we’re currently on a cruise ship, what can we do to help out the kayakers? To throw a rope, offer support, invite them on board for some shelter from the storm?

And if we’re in the kayak - or perhaps what feels more like a gradually deflating raft - what can it look like to tap into our inner strength, to keep paddling during these trying times, and to ask for help from those who can provide it?

As David Kessler recently said on Brene Brown’s podcast, everyone’s individual grief is the worst. All of our journeys are valid.

May we remember the validity of our own plight, our own feelings, and our own experiences, while also taking a look around to see who might be in need of a rope, a life vest, or an invitation and a ladder, to climb on up.