If friends and family were to describe me, I cannot imagine many would use the word calm. I like action and activity, outcomes and evaluation.
And for the most part, we tend to associate calm with external appearances: sitting quietly reading a book, walking a deserted beach or practicing meditation in silence or white noise.
To be honest, that kind of calm is rarely on my radar.
But I recently read a quote that reminded me of the true value of calm:
When adversity strikes, that’s when you have to be the most calm. Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on.
This reminds me where calm does its best work. When it’s not necessarily our personality default but it is found in our character. It is the ability to think, act, and gain perspective when we are surrounded with chaos and uncertainty.
Where we have learned to settle in the storm and wait for it to pass.
And that’s a type of calm that is worth cultivating over and over.