There’s a certain stillness that comes before a storm, not the calmness that brings peace, but the one that tightens your chest. The air feels heavy. The sea might look deceptively still or, in some cases, very rough. And you just sit waiting, not knowing what exactly to expect, but knowing something is coming. That’s where we were, waiting for Hurricane Melissa.

For days, she was sitting out there in the sea, gathering strength. Growing, shifting, reforming. The forecasts change by the hour, but one thing remains constant: she was coming. And that waiting, that long, tense anticipation, it’s a feeling we know too well, even outside of hurricane season. It’s the apprehension of life.

Sometimes, the storms we face aren’t formed in the ocean. They form in silence. A conflict left unresolved. A decision we’ve been putting off. A truth we’ve been avoiding. The longer we let it sit, the stronger it grows. Just like Melissa.

We watch from a distance, hoping maybe it will weaken, or shift course, or dissolve altogether. But storms don’t always do what we hope and pray for. And when they finally make landfall, they remind us that we should have prepared earlier, covered up all the weak spots, secured what matters, and let go of what could be replaced. Protect life and property to the best of our abilities.

Apprehension has a strange way of paralyzing us. It makes us sit still when we should be moving, thinking when we should be doing. But sometimes, it also gives us time, time to reflect, to prepare, to gather our own strength. Maybe that’s the lesson in this waiting. Maybe while Melissa gathered power out there, we could do the same in our safe space.

Because eventually, every storm passes. The winds die down, the waters recede, and we take stock of what remains. Life goes on. But who we become after the storm, that depends on what we did before it hit.

So as we sat in those moments of apprehension, waiting for Melissa to decide her path, we should have asked ourselves, what in our own lives has been sitting out there too long, gathering strength? And when it finally arrives, will we be ready?

I genuinely want to know your thoughts, and I’m sure others do too. Feel free to comment 👍🏽, but if you’re not comfortable sharing, please reach out to me through any medium. I’d be thrilled if you could share something, anything, and let others know. Your comments help me understand your perspective and often present a completely different view on the topic. They could even inspire another blog. 😉 And you never know how your comment might benefit others. Remember, life is meant to be lived, and you should always strive to live your best life. #lifeisforliving #liveyourbestlife #gratefulforlife #faithgreaterthanfear

See you next Wednesday at 8:00 p.m., Bogotá time.