One night, about a year or so ago, I went to grab some caffeine after dark (yeah, yeah, I know it's bad, let's get to the real story). Silly me didn't check the weather beforehand (not that I ever do). Wouldn't you know that on the way back I ended up surrounded by an electrical storm – you know, the kind where the lightning is shooting straight across the air in all directions, but it isn't even raining? Yeah, those. I attract storms regularly, so this was far from the first time I'd been in one like it.

Instead of running screaming down the street, I just calmly returned my walk home as lightning was flying around me from all sides. I must say, I felt rather invincible and powerful in some of those moments, even though I realize I am not. Instead of scaring me, what the storm did was have me reflecting. Funny thing is, even when I was a child years before and a tornado was right behind us, I still didn't scream. It was literally following us as we raced away in a vehicle that we all had to jump in to escape it.

You see, I attract storms often, both literally and figuratively. Like the true survivor that I am, I always come out whole. More than that, I am usually better than I was before. I am a true believer that storms are not meant to harm us, but to shape us. They are supposed to cleanse us, show us things we wouldn't see normally, test us, and even us break us down so that we are fresh and ready for what's to come.

You would not believe some of the storms I have seen in my life, starting at just a small age. My child self went through more terror than some would even dream up in a nightmare. That's all in the past now and I am at the stage where I am thankful for it (though would never wish it on anyone) because it made me the person I am today.

Just like literal storms often produce rainbows and make the plants grow, both kinds of storms can do the same within us. Not many days prior to the lightning storm, I was also close to a tornado and several other storms. As a child (okay and even as an adult...shhh), I identified with the X-Men comic book character named Storm. My brother and I even role-played the comics with me as Storm (nothing you can say here because I proudly proclaim both my nerdiness, as well as my geekiness) for quite a long while.

Do I try to fight the storms I attract in all life aspects? Hell no! I embrace them and rise above them each and every time. Like Storm from the X-Men, sometimes I even figure out how to control them, where appropriate. I always come out a stronger, more ready person than ever before. Do I think I will ever be done with storms? I hope not because I want to keep growing and thriving until the day I am meant to leave this life.

Do you attract storms?

by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer


Martin, the king

Example of love
Proclaimer of peace

Martin, the king

Ideas profound
Wisdom so plenty

Martin, the king

Touched so many
Died so fast

Martin, the king

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network

Do you find yourself asking the question "Why am I working so hard with little to no results?" You aren't alone. Many people ask this question. Whether you relate this to a low-paying dead-end job or to some other situation in life, there still is hope. In fact, each time you work hard, you are getting results. You just may not see them. What do I mean? Read on to find out.

This message came to me in an odd way, which is often true for many things in life. This morning I was playing a game on the Facebook website called Farm Town, a game which several friends of mine are addicted to. Part of the game requires plowing fields to ready them for the crops. Probably due to a temporary glitch, when I placed one field, my character paid the money due and did the hard work, but the field did not plow. She did however still earn the experience points due.

This incident made me think about real life. Sometimes people work so hard, yet do not see the results expected. Does that mean the hard work was for nothing? Some may say yes here. I disagree. With hard work comes experience. Therefore, even though expected results are not always gained, that does not mean the hard work was for nothing. In fact, there are times where experience can be more valuable than any money or monetary award.

If you are relating your hard work with no results to a job, think about that for a moment. It's true that it's no fun to work hard day in and day out for minimum wage or less money than you believe you deserve for that work. However, at the present, many are taking whatever job they can get. If that's you and there is not another income opportunity, make the most of it. How?

Reap the benefits of experience, just like the farmer who plows many fields will learn to do it better over time. Keep working hard and learn as you do. That experience could help later down the road when there is better opportunity. That better opportunity may even exist within the very company you are putting all that time and effort into.

When it comes time to choose someone for a better position within the company, who do you think they'll look at first - the slacker on the phone all day or the hard worker? Even if it is not within that company that you advance, the experience you gained could come in handy for a future position and also looks good on a resume.

This can also be applied to any situation or goal in life where you are working hard to reach your desired result but feel like you're not reaching it. You are gaining experience and knowledge along the way. Some goals require a bit of extra knowledge to fully appreciate. Some require extra obstacles as well so that once you get there, you are strong enough to reap the benefits of the reward.

Hard work is not for nothing. It does eventually pay off, just not always in the way people expect.

*I originally published a version of this on 6/13/2009 via Yahoo Contributor Network

** Last updated 9/24/2020