Never Waste A Crisis

“I really do think that any deep crisis is an opportunity to make your life extraordinary in some way.” – Martha Beck

A crisis is an opportunity.

It is a wake-up call.

It is a clear signal that what one has been doing will no longer work.

It is a chance to begin anew, with the wisdom that (often/generally) only comes from a hard lesson.

A mentor of mine once said that you can react, respond or over-respond to something.

Most merely react, dealing with something only enough to restore some measure/version of the status quo.

Sometimes, although rarely, people respond and take meaningful steps to both address a crisis and prevent it from happening again.

Even more rare is someone who over-responds.

Over-responding is taking steps – significant, often sustained, action – to ensure that nothing like or resembling the provoking crisis ever has an opportunity to arise, ever.

Not every crisis needs an over-response, but carefully applied, this mechanism can result in a much better life.

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A case-in-point is what I do post-Winter-Storm-Nemo. A couple days ago I received 28″ of snow at the house in CT where I am house-sitting.

At first, I reacted and shoveled part of the deck and a path to where I normally park my car. Then, I found someone to plow the (long) driveway (because the person I had arranged to plow was overwhelmed and likely not coming).

A response to this might be to move to an apartment or condo and not have to worry, personally, about snow-removal.

An over-response might be to move someplace without snow.

That’s the option I’m contemplating.

Is any climate or area going to meet my desires, exactly? Not likely.

But, if I am willing to exchange cold Winters and the increasing likelihood of continued extreme Winter storms for a longer, hotter Summer, then I have many options.

I am seriously considering this “over-response” and what I would need to do before-hand to make such a change smoothly and responsibly.