Every year from June through November (hurricane season), the possibility of these storms invades our everyday existence.
Initially, the idea of a hurricane was pretty disturbing to me -- this massive storm, full of power and energy, descending upon my home. But that was before we moved here. Once I came to Florida, I discovered a few things.
I learned that our meteorologists start tracking the storms when they are far away in the Atlantic, so we know several days in advance when one is coming. I learned that all the various weather conditions can be predictors of the storm's path, so we can have an educated guess where it might make landfall, and I learned there were things I could do to effectively protect my home and family.
This was good news to me. Somehow it made me feel less at the mercy of nature and the possible turmoil that came with the storm. I could prepare; I could learn some good practices, and certainly, with each hurricane I experienced, I became smarter about how to weather the next one.
The same thing happened to me when I was studying about conflict. What I knew of trying to work through relational difficulties was how I viewed hurricanes: this was a big powerful storm that happened all of a sudden, and I was ruled by the chaos that accompanied it. But then again, I learned some things.
I learned that relational conflicts are simply a fact of life. I learned that there are predictors of when they can happen so we can prepare and develop good practices. Best of all, I learned that with each experience, we can become better at handling these difficulties the next time around.
As long as I live in Florida, hurricanes will be something for me to contend with, and as long as I have relationships with other human beings, conflicts will be too. Even though I don't have total control over them, what gives me hope on both of these fronts is the knowledge that I am not defenseless either and that I can actively weather them come what may.
Here's to your learning about the hurricanes in your life too!
Kay
www.confidentconflict.com
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