A Joyful Practice

Weather, “weathering,” and weathering the storm (*revised) August 29, 2023

Be prepared. Be hydrated. Be kind.

“[Public health researcher Arline Geronimus from the University of Michigan] coined a term for this chronic stress — she calls it ‘weathering,’ which, she says, ‘literally wears down your heart, your arteries, your neuroendocrine systems, … all your body systems so that in effect, you become chronologically old at a young age.’ She writes about the phenomenon in her new book, Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society.”

— quoted from the NPR: Fresh Air segment entitled “How poverty and racism ‘weather’ the body, accelerating aging and disease” by Dave Davies

It’s that time of year, again, Hurricane Season. As people in Bermuda battle Hurricane Franklin (currently Category 4, but still moving) and people on the west coast of Florida are preparing for Idalia (currently Category 3, but still moving and growing), we mark the anniversary of some of the most destructive and deadline hurricanes making landfall in 2005 (Katrina, Category 5); 2017 (Harvey, Category 4, on its fifth landfall); and 2021 (Ida, Category 4). Not to mention Hurricane Andrew (Category 5), which dissipated today in 1992, and Hurricane Maria, Category 5, which hit Puerto Rico in 2017.

Sometimes, today is a day when I highlight the emotions that come up with the storms, like anger, anxiety, and fear. I typically highlight the idea that we must prepare for “dragons” if we live near them and consider what we can do (for others) if we are having a “dragon-free” moment. And, while all of those things will come up in today, this year’s practice highlights goes back to something that is always on my mind when I think about Hurricane Katrina: resilience. 

Just like there is a difference between the weather (short-term changes in the atmosphere) and the climate (atmospheric changes over decades), there is a difference between ‘weathering’ and weathering the storm. The latter is about how we recover from temporary setbacks, stress, and single moments of trauma. The former, however, is about what happens when someone experiences chronic stress without periods of relief and recovery. As much as we need to prepare for dragons and as much as we need to be there for each other, we also need to consider how natural disasters (not to mention man-made disasters) affect our ability to withstand trauma – and what we can do to weather the storm.

“‘It’s not that every Black person has more damage than every white person,’ [Geronimus] says. ‘It’s really about how much stress versus social support you get in your everyday life.’”

— quoted from the NPR: Fresh Air segment entitled “How poverty and racism ‘weather’ the body, accelerating aging and disease” by Dave Davies

Please join me today (Tuesday, August 29^th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08292020 Katrina, Harvey…”]

In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)

### TAKE AN AX OR A HAMMER IF YOU GO TO THE ROOF. ###