Mother Nature is Spring Cleaning

Mother Nature appears to be providing us with a fast and furious Spring Cleaning.

Observing the devastation of storms across the globe and listening even now to the thunder outside my window, I am reminded of an experience that made a permanent imprint on my life.

In 1971, tropical storm Doria danced her way through the Northeast. Even with all of my street smarts, a quality that helped me to land a job as a security supervisor for a Retail Drug Store chain at the age of 19, I was unprepared to witness humanity in the various stages of shock. My partner and I were assigned the responsibility of evaluating flood damage in the Pennsylvania stores. I witnessed the impact of devastation first hand and I was humbled.


We drove through the neighborhoods that our stores served and I watched families rummage through their belongings. I could not stop the tears that followed. Of the thoughts that flooded my mind, there is one that stuck: Fire may be a gentler misfortune than a flood as there is but one decision to make - clean out and rebuild.

In my ongoing life process of clearing out, I continue to learn from Mother Nature. Sometimes destruction comes before renewal and I evaluate the 'stuff'.


For today, consider clearing out anything that no longer holds joyous energy for you, pass it on and allow it to begin anew.