Ten years ago I lived in the Hudson Valley and visited infrequently between then and now. Time away has made the changes sharp, stark, and strange: Now winters have tempered this land into a different zone classification. Now hurricanes come here. Now residents have reference of crashing trees, floods, and fire for the hurricane we expect tomorrow.

In this moment things are calm, just starting to be windy. People talk about stockpiling soup, water, batteries, and methods to continue life as usual in whatever weather may come.

The inevitability of change rises to the top of our awareness in this moment. We’re told this is the day before the change is coming and we brace ourselves with the things we believe we need and open up or close down to the unknown with different emotions.

Yet every day is full of hurricanes, full of change we can’t fully prepare for, change we may or may not want. We dissect the direction, the source, we create blame, we resist it or not. I’ve never been in storm like Hurricane Sandy, but it reminds me of what it means to be in the storms of change every day and the openness and presence it takes to live in it. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t.

Will you weather your storms? What does that mean to you?