I live in what is approximately the geographic center of our island, with the beach roughly one mile in one direction and the river roughly one mile in the opposite direction. The same towering pine trees that surround my home line the road in front of my house, and the spaces that aren’t filled with pines are taken up by the various oaks. Collectively, these trees create a buffer around me, so that when the wind is blowing, I am blissfully ignorant of the full strength. Sure, I see the treetops swaying a bit more than usual, but ultimately what I enjoy is the fact that the mosquitoes and gnats are mostly unnoticeable.
For those who live on the edge of the island, however, where there is nothing to slow down the force of the wind, the experience on a windy day can be very, very different. Wind hits a person with full force, robbing warmth and slowing you down. Waves are whipped to a frenzy, eroding the shoreline and creating dangerous conditions where boats are tied to docks. Weaker trees, without so many more sentries to absorb the gusts, topple or shed limbs. Instead of ignorance, there is heightened awareness that things could quickly and easily take a turn for the worse. And for those who really depend on the smooth operations of a ferry system, there’s the potential for significant disruption when decisions emphasize safety over personal convenience.
Such was the case on Wednesday, when gale force winds spent some time blowing what we hope was the remaining pollen out of the trees. The same island, experiencing the same weather conditions, and yet the personal impact varied tremendously. Some were greatly inconvenienced, some may have experienced damage, and some enjoyed a crisp spring day, but the gale warning covered them all. Our island is not that big, which is why it should now be obvious to all that our own personal experiences are just that – unique to our own personal circumstances.
It is so easy for us to have an experience and then assume that others had the same experience. If you slept through a storm, you assume that everyone else had the same experience. If you tried something and it failed, you assume that others had similarly failed at it. If something traumatized you, you assume that others were similarly traumatized. And yet, that doesn’t seem to be how life typically works. Even in the midst of events that would truly qualify as shared trauma, the impact varies from person to person.
Hopefully, we can see clearly enough to understand the blessing of this reality, because it means that when we are in the midst of the worst day of our lives, someone else may be having a great day, and their joy and strength may provide us with precisely the boost that we need to get through our misery. What that requires, however, is that we avoid transposing upon others the expectation that they have experienced exactly the same thing that we have. Instead, we need to be willing to actually listen to what is going on in someone else’s life, and recognize that storms impact us all differently.
I pray that you weren’t adversely impacted by the winds that hit us on Wednesday, but if you were, just reach out to me and let me know how I and others can help out.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron