When that phone call comes out of the blue, life can change in an instant. The ground shifts between our feet. With our usual landmarks gone, and no direction, there's little we can do.
But there can be a few things:
We can look for something constant.
- Like our breath. It's always right here.
- Or the temperature of the air.
- Or the gentle pressure of gravity.
We can do something simple to do that's in our control.
- Make a cup of tea.
- Listen to the birds.
- Work with our hands.
That can give us enough time to catch our breath, to get a sense of our place in the world while things settle down. We may not find our footing right away, but the storm will pass.