Hurricane Story
In September 2017, I experienced two Category 5 hurricanes within just two weeks. On September 6th, I was on St. John and by September 15th, I was on St. Thomas settling into a hurricane bunker-both islands are located in the U.S. Virgin Islands in the Eastern Caribbean. The first, Irma, was one of the strongest storms to ever emerge from the coast of Africa that left an indelible mark on me. With its sustained winds of 185mph, gusts of wind well over 250mph, and a tornado that hit our house, my nervous system short-circuited. This was no ordinary storm, rather a confrontation with raw, untamed power that Nature, is in fact, in charge.
The second, Hurricane Maria, was just as fierce as Irma, but its aftermath brought a different kind of devastation-one that shattered my heart when I learned that the man I was with had betrayed me. He had been intimate with another woman before the first hurricane struck, a truth he chose to withhold. This revelation elicited deep emotional pain of betrayal and loss, while I was still trying to digest the external forces of nature.
This all occurred when I was 37 years old, leaving me to face the weight of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) while also grappling with a broken heart. It was a period of my life where emotional, psychological and physical burdens intertwined, demanding my attention to learn a new life where gentleness and patience became my anchors to rebuild from the inside out. From a fragmented spirit, finding strength in the cracks, and choosing self-discovery, this initiation, even though I didn't know then, was about to be my most fertile ground to educate first hand how we can recover from trauma.
I am now 43 and intensely grateful for the ways I have advocated for myself to take an alternative approach to my healing, with a large handful of beautifully skilled humans-often dear friends-who have held me with grace in my breakdowns and breakthroughs to walk towards embodiment. As someone who strives to live by Robert Ingersol's quote, “We rise by lifting others,” my journey has been profoundly shaped by my support system that reminded me my life was worth living-especially during the darkest of times. PTSD is undeniably real, yet its impact isn’t solely defined by hardship. The other side is in fact, full of magic, connection and an invitation toward a new north star we never knew we needed.
One day, I will write a book on my personal story, yet, for now, it is my hope that you know, that the spaces in between, yes, those long pauses, transitions, and moments of stillness, is where we find the strength to reclaim our power, reignite our passion to live again and the purpose to make a difference in the lives of others. We are all here for only a fleeting moment. So, welcome whatever is present for you now. Embrace it, feel it, and trust that it’s part of your path. You are exactly where you’re meant to be.