It started out like any ordinary day, until it wasn’t.
At 8:07 am HST on January 13, 2018, an Emergency Alert blasted across cell phones with an emergency sound and the following message:
BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.
Composed yet confused we grabbed some water, sustenance and headed to the basement to take shelter. Joined by some neighbors and pets, we huddled together until we could make sense of what was happening.
Approximately 42 minutes later another message was delivered stating this was all a false alarm.
I don’t know if we’ll ever know the truth of what really happened this morning. Nonetheless, what I do know is the trauma of this threat was absolutely real. It triggered a fight or flight response in my body putting me into a mild state of shock with my heart beating rapidly.
I spent the rest of the day dazed and confused because I was literally thrown off my center. At the same time, I was in deep awareness of how this situation had impacted me physically with areas of tension and stress. As time passed I also noticed how the tension and stress slowly unfolded and began releasing from my body.
To help me through this, I stood with heartfelt intention in the ocean asking Mother Earth to help ground me, heal me and bring me back to my center. I lifted my arms up to the sky in deep gratitude for this big beautiful planet that we have with at least one more day to enjoy her.
The next time you go through a challenging event, I encourage you to take time in seated reflection, tune into your body and observe what is happening. Really feel into how the event has touched you on a deep emotional, physical, mental and spiritual level.
Often times we try to brush things off and move on with our day as if nothing has happened. True healing begins when we take time to tune in, acknowledge what it is we are feeling and honor that. Conscious awareness is our key to understanding.