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I love storms. They are beautiful, powerful and whisk me to a surreal place where time has no meaning and the hustle and bustle of life stops. Isn't that what we do? A storm comes in. We stop. Observe. Stand in awe of it. We cancel plans that involve driving. Sometimes we go the basement if it is especially bad. If anything, a storm snaps us out of our every day routine. Such power!

So often, it is the terrible or destructive things in our life that snap us out of our routine. Sometimes a death causes us to value life. Sometimes losing an important relationship makes our shortcomings stare us in the face and if we are awake, can cause us to effect a change. Loss of a job, financial deficit or even natural events like fires and storms help us to realize that possessions are just that--objects. How we respond to these things, to a large extent, reveals our content and character.

When is the last time something positive caused us to wake up to the moment? To dwell in the moment? To view life through a different lens?

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