The Eye of the Storm

Sculpture Eye of the Storm shown here
was created by Rusty Wolfe and  is located at
The Stephenson National Bank & Trust, Marinette

The Eye of the Storm is where you and I, with 7 billion other people, find ourselves in this earth-shaking and challenging hurricane. It is a storm that pits healthy lives against livelihoods. A catastrophic whirlwind that has us huddled in two camps.

In camp one, we find those of us that have time to disinfect our homes daily.  Our brass doorknobs now silver from the rubbing.  We’re tasked with in-home childcare and have a growing appreciation for teachers. We’re striving to prove that working from home is not an oxymoron. We are sheltered, idle, and worried in anticipation of what comes next.  

In the other camp, we find ourselves feeling emotional and exhausted from being deemed “Essential.” We don’t have time to bake bread. Our only choice is to keep trudging.  Ever mindful that our duty poses an essential risk to ourselves and the lives of our families.

If this storm’s eye was the size of a football field, we are on the 50-yard line.  We’re at the halfway point. Now is the time to decide what to do. What are our options?

·      We could close our eyes and see what happens. But chance can be a cruel mistress. Just ask the captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

·      Or we can seize this rare opportunity. History proves that when we have the odds stacked against us, people pull together.  Faced with a challenge, we will find the courage, the resources, creativity, and the put-a-man-on-the-moon innovation necessary for a breakthrough.

We have this precious moment to assess our choices. With the gift of bright blue clarity, we can choose to focus on what is valuable to others and priceless to us.  Now that I have to slow down, I’m weighing how to create a more manageable life vs. going back into the rat race.

We can Lighten our load for the journey.  Does it still make sense to have all three kids enrolled in different age groups of extra circular activities between hockey, soccer, baseball, swimming, volleyball, and jujitsu?

Choose what matters most.  I now realize what I was missing without regular household meals around the table. We can tune our compass to travel a better path. 

What are your possibilities for creating something better?

Let’s act to meet the rest of this storm with the courage that comes with faith and hope.  

Mark the sign of these times, by listening to our local artist Rusty Wolfe’s Song, 

Shelter for Vaccine, on Facebook @MyMarinetteMenominee 

or hear it on local radio WHYB