My home state of Missouri is experiencing what my mom would call a frog-choker rain. Being the visual person I am, I appreciate this description probably more than most as I visualize bullfrogs croaking requests for life preservers. With few words, one understands that a frog-choker rain is a doozey of a storm.
Do you know those storms? The ones that flood your body with heaviness, forcing you to gasp for breath and grab a life preserver?
I know them.
And through them I’ve learned what helps keep me afloat:
- A drive to the beach or time in nature.
- My favorite music, seafood, and an umbrella drink.
- Time with people who are near and dear.
- Time alone.
- A good book or maybe a good nap.
- Focusing on my strengths, gifts, blessings.
- Asking for help.
- Being strong.
- Being gentle.
- Believing in myself, in others, in the divine.
- Running, walking, or biking. Just moving my body.
- Breathing. Deeply. Slowly. Really breathing. I mean this quite literally.
- And praying. All the time.
- Focusing on what is within my control.
- Letting go of the rest.
- Breathing.
- Praying.
- Swimming.
What keeps you afloat?
Go ahead.
Pause.
On this first day of a new year and answer that question.
What keeps me afloat?
Make a list of your life preservers. Save it on your bathroom mirror, or as a screen saver, or in your journal, or on the refrigerator as a wake up call.
And on those mornings, during those moments, in those frog-choker rains, go to your list.
And swim.
