Storms

We have been having some pretty good storms here in the Midwest with lots of wind, thunder, lightning, and tornado warnings. The storms really freak out Merlin. The other night at one a.m. we had a loud clap of thunder that sounded like it was right over the house. The house actually shook because of it and Merlin leapt from the bed about four feet onto the rug. He was just shaking and it took a couple of minutes to persuade him to come back to bed and cuddle next to me.

As in nature there are storms in personal lives as well. It is how we handle these storms that determines what type of person we are. It is easy to be a nice person when everything is going right in your life. It is when the going gets tough that our true worth comes out. How do we behave towards others when things are not going well in our lives?

I have found that once I learned I was a stronger person then I gave myself credit for that when things don't go well I am better able to cope with them. I have learned to not allow myself to become depressed because depression just adds to the problems. I am wise enough to realize that there are times however when I need a tranquilizer to help me along for a while. Sometimes when things get too much you need to ask for help. I learned to ask for professional help when I was at my most depressed because sometimes you need more help then you can provide for yourself.

People like Tom Cruise make fun of professional help but I learned that there is no shame is saying "hey I need someone to talk to. I need some help." There are times when you need to have wisdom from a professional to help you find your way. Sometimes you are dealing with a chemical imbalance and need some medicine to make it right. You wouldn't hesitate to put a Band-Aid over a cut or take an aspirin for a headache. Why should someone be afraid to ask for help mentally and emotionally when it is needed? Life can throw you some major storms sometimes. I feel it is the smart thing to do to get help in trying to weather them.

The picture is called "Midwest Storm" and the cat is hiding upstairs.