When Life’s Winds Blow

The howling wind tore at the ropes like invisible hands, stretching them to their breaking point as they strained against the weight of our vessel. 

Vibrant whitecaps exploded across the churning surface — a violent ballet of foam and spray against the deep blue water below.

The sharp, briny scent of salt filled our lungs with each labored breath as we maneuvered the boat backward, our knuckles white from gripping rain-slick ropes against the blood-red pylons.

The icy droplets stung our faces like tiny needles while the thunderous roar of the gale swallowed our desperate shouts, transforming them into whispers against nature’s deafening orchestra.

As we cleared the false sanctuary of the marina’s windbreaks, heading home, the true power of the storm ambushed us — the wind’s howl rising to a banshee’s wail as we fought to control our craft through the choppy, angry cauldron that had once been calm waters.

Stubbornness Meets Impossibility

As we approached our narrow covered boat slip, the horizontal force of the wind transformed our vessel into an uncontrollable missile, sending us skidding past our target with alarming speed. Twelve times we circled back, twelve times we failed, 40 minutes of battling against nature’s unbending will. 

The realization sank in like the cold salty water that had penetrated our clothes — trying to get into the slip was a fool’s errand. With desperation mounting, we shifted to our last-ditch strategy: securing a single rope to a lone pylon and pulling our way to the side. The four of us became warriors in an epic tug-of-war — myself at the helm, my three companions straining against the furious onslaught that threatened to tear the rope from their bleeding hands. When one valiant soul finally made it onto the dock, we celebrated the small victory, only to face 15 more grueling minutes fighting to secure a second lifeline against the storm’s relentless assault.

Will We Survive Until Dawn?

Four ropes now tethered our jumping, thrashing boat to the dock as waves crashed over its sides. We scrambled off the vessel, exhausted but alive, facing a new anxiety — would our knots hold through the night? Would our beloved boat be smashed to splinters against the unforgiving dock?

Sleep came in restless bursts between frantic checks, each trip to the window revealing the silhouette of our boat still fighting for survival against the elements. When dawn finally broke, the wind had relented to a gentle 9 mph breeze — as if the previous night’s fury had been nothing but a terrifying dream. Only then could I navigate the boat easily into its slip and elevate it to safety, the morning calm making a mockery of our nighttime ordeal.

The Moment We Feared Death: Confronting Our Mortality

Looking into the eyes of my guests as they contemplated climbing onto a tall dock in howling winds, I saw something I’ll never forget — the raw, primal fear that comes when humans realize their mortality is at stake. We were no longer pleasure-seekers but survivors, pushed to our physical limits by forces beyond our control. Every straining muscle, every gasping breath, every precarious step represented a desperate battle to cheat the dangers that circled us like hungry predators. In those moments, the thin veneer of civilization washes away with the spray, revealing the most fundamental imperative — to survive at all costs.

Life’s Deceptive Calm Before the Storm

This harrowing experience, just seven days ago, mirrors the unpredictable rhythm of existence itself. We drift through extended periods of tranquility, lulled into a false sense of permanence, until without warning, catastrophe descends like a hammer blow. These storms — financial collapse, a health crisis, a relationship imploding — demand everything we have to survive. They arrive not as gentle transitions but as violent intrusions that threaten to capsize our carefully constructed lives, forcing us to fight with primal intensity simply to remain afloat.

Red Flags Ignored

Had I been more attentive, more rational, the entire crisis could have been averted. The forecast had whispered its warning — winds would arrive early that day — but I checked only for rain, not for the invisible force that would nearly claim us. Even as we finished lunch at the marina, the warning signs screamed for attention; the winds had already reached dangerous levels. My rational mind should have abandoned the boat there, hailed a taxi, and returned when nature’s fury had subsided. Instead, pride and past successes blinded me — I’d navigated high winds before, surely I could do it again. This arrogance nearly cost us everything.

When Emotion Overrides Safety

My pilot friend Tom’s haunting story echoes in my mind, about a fellow aviator who allowed an executive to override his professional judgment about unsafe flying conditions. Both perished when emotion trumped reason, when the pressure to please overrode the imperative to survive. I recognize now that I made the same nearly fatal error, allowing the emotional desire to fulfill our planned adventure to silence the rational voice urging caution. In moments where life hangs in the balance, emotion becomes not just a poor counselor but potentially a lethal one.

Clues We Refuse to Acknowledge

Most life storms announce themselves before they strike, sending signals we either miss or willfully ignore. I see the warning signs but convince myself I can change the outcome, giving second chances when decisive action is required. Perhaps it’s conflict avoidance, perhaps simple laziness, perhaps magical thinking — regardless, the storms still come, more destructive for the delay.

What catastrophes hover on your horizon right now, their warning lights flashing, while you pretend all is well? 

What financial collapse, health crisis, or relationship rupture gathers strength while you look away?

The High Cost of Willful Blindness

Financial ruin rarely arrives without warning — missed payments, mounting debt, and impulsive spending all wave red flags before the bankruptcy filing. Legal calamities typically follow a trail of small ethical compromises, each one making the next easier to justify. Even family fractures send tremors before the earthquake — communication breakdown, increasing distance, unaddressed resentments. Yet we convince ourselves these indicators mean nothing, until the disaster we could have prevented consumes everything we value.

Survival Mode Activated

Once engulfed by the storm, my priorities instantly transformed — no longer concerned with creating an enjoyable excursion but fixated solely on keeping everyone alive. After a dozen failed docking attempts, continued stubborn persistence became not determination but dangerous delusion. Had we failed to secure ourselves to the dockside, returning to the marina or seeking calmer waters miles away would have been our only rational options. Clinging to original plans in the face of changed conditions is not persistence — it’s potentially fatal folly.

When Normal Becomes Impossible

Survival mode isn’t limited to physical dangers. Two years ago, my business faced its own perfect storm, forcing me to abandon standard operations to address an existential threat. For months, growth plans and new initiatives gathered dust while all resources focused on weathering the crisis. Had I maintained “business as usual,” pretending we could simply power through, the company would have been damaged. Sometimes we must set aside our preferred agenda to address the emergency that threatens everything.

Finding Your Safe Harbor

As we journey through life’s unpredictable seas, we all need designated safe harbors — people, places, and practices that offer sanctuary when gales threaten to overwhelm us. These refuges look different for each of us — perhaps a morning ritual of contemplation, prayer, or exercise, perhaps the unwavering support of loyal friends or wise counsel from mentors, perhaps spiritual practices that ground us when chaos swirls. When we find ourselves fighting for survival against life’s fiercest storms, these harbors become not luxury but necessity — the difference between destruction and endurance.

The Ultimate Lesson

Perhaps the most profound wisdom any storm can teach is humility — the recognition that despite our planning, technology, and skill, forces exist that can overwhelm us in an instant. We cannot control the wind; we can only adjust our sails and sometimes seek shelter. This humility isn’t weakness but wisdom, allowing us to respect forces beyond our control rather than arrogantly believing we can overpower them. This respect leads to better decisions, keeping ourselves and those we care about safer when the inevitable storms arrive.

Questions That Could Save Your Life

As you move through your own journey, consider these potentially life-saving questions: 

What personal harbors have you established for times of crisis? 

Who stands ready to help secure your ropes when fierce winds threaten to carry you away? 

Most critically, what warning signals are you currently dismissing, pretending the horizon remains clear while the barometer plummets and dark clouds gather? 

The courage to answer these questions honestly might make the difference between weathering the coming storm or being destroyed by it.

The Beauty in Chaos

Though storms bring danger, they also carry strange gifts, like a fish that jumps into the boat when a crashing wave hits — revealing our true resilience, the depth of our courage, the strength of our bonds with others. When we survive what we thought would destroy us, we emerge transformed, with a deeper appreciation for life’s fragility and wonder. 

Sometimes, in the wildest moments of wind and wave, we glimpse a terrible beauty — the raw power of existence that both threatens and invigorates us. The storms will surely come. With wisdom, preparation, and the courage to change course when necessary, we can not only survive them but discover unexpected strength in their aftermath.

What storms are you going through now?
I have confidence you can get through them.

Eric Rhoads