The Perfect Storm
Newscasters have been talking a great deal about how a huge
storm emerges, on the heals of some catastrophic hurricanes and tornados around
the globe. Just the right wind, the correct heat, and the perfect current all
come together to make massive destruction.
I remember a time in the 70s when I worked at an amusement
park as a singer/dancer in a show called “America Sings.” The park had some of
the largest roller coasters in America. The company who owned the park had a
line-cutting policy. If you were caught, you got ousted from the park.
One hot summer day, a commotion arose from the cue line entering
the largest roller coaster. Someone had cut in line. So, the man who stopped
and started the ride left his post to settle the incident. He figured the worst
that could happen was that the roller coaster wouldn’t stop and simply take
another turn around the rickety wooden tracks.
What he didn’t realize—and what no one else suspected—was
that the car right before had gotten stuck at the bottom of the first large
hill. So, when the amusement park worker didn’t make it back to his post in
time to stop the incoming car, the next car crashed into the first car at the
bottom of the hill. People were hurt and killed. The situation created the
perfect storm.
When I look back at that incident, it was as if everything
had come together to make the crash happen. The likelihood of that incident
occurring was one in a million, I’m sure. In fact, I’d heard that a car
stopping at the bottom of the hill had only happened one other time in the
history of that roller coaster, which was 50 years old. So, what do we make of
that as spiritual believers of a God who is supposed to be supporting us and
keeping us secure?
For me, I immediately feel the exact opposite of secure. I
think that the intent of the universe is something terrible happens to me the next
time. I can imagine that, in this particular situation, most people would have
felt the same.
As a child, on the first day of eighth grade, our bus driver
had taken a few drinks before he came to pick us up at school. To get to my
home in West Mayfield, Pennsylvania, the driver had to go down a ½-mile, steep
hill, stop in the middle of the hill and drop off the children at the local
fire station. My sister Lori and I were both on the bus when the driver didn’t
stop at the first drop-off at the top of the hill, where the kids from the
project lived. All the children began to bark mean remarks at the bus driver,
assuming he was new and didn’t know the protocol.
Then, almost instantaneously, a huge hush swept over the
bus. We all saw the look of terror in the driver’s eyes through the rearview
mirror. The brakes had failed. He began to take us on an 80-mile-an-hour ride
down the mile-long 37th Street hill, landing in an above-ground
swimming pool.
I literally saw my life pass before my eyes. I remember
thinking I would be dead in a moment. What, if anything, did I need to confess
to God. Then, I recalled praying fervently that we would land safely. I had no
idea what happened with the rest of the children on the bus as I had gone off
in a dream. I don’t even recall if someone had sat beside me. All I remember
was the crash into the pool and the bus taking a nosedive into the water.
We had no air conditioning, so the first thing I thought to
do was climb out of the open window and jump to safety. I believe an adult I
didn’t know caught me when I leaped. Then I immediately began yelling for my
sister. Was she alive? Was anyone else alive?
Slowly, the children were ushered off of the bus one by one.
Some were taken to the hospital, some left alone crying for their parents,
others finding someone to hold. My
sister found her way to safety too. I held her tightly for a long time, until
Mrs. Wickline found us and drove us home.
As a result of that wreck, I ended up having back and neck
problems that would continue for the rest of my life. Others had night terrors
and could never ride in a bus again. Some probably have PTSD to this day.
The Perfect Storm in your life is not when Warm meets Cold;
it is the moment that you realize life is ephemeral. This perfect storm caused
me to understand how impending death could be, but also how I am a spirit
living in a body—a fragile, temporary home for something auspiciously eternal.
In the years after this, I have had a few more near-death experiences. Each
time, I come to realize that we must all have a couple angels taking care of us.
______________________________________________
New Challenge: Go to Week 5 of the “Year
to CLEAR Challenge” at www.Bosebastian.com
______________________________________________
Look for MY LATEST BOOK: “Finding Authentic You, 7 Steps to Effective Change” with a
Year to CLEAR (C-larity, L-ove, E-nthusiasm A-nd R-elationship-Ready) on my
Website in the Webstore. Thanks!
Below is information that I will be sharing for about a
month, as not every person on my list reads the blog every day. If you have
already read it, just skip over it. Thanks for understanding.
A
Year to CLEAR Challenge:
(Please Know: You Can Join Us At Any Point in the Year
Challenge.)
The masses search outward for things that qualify them as a
person, but I always go inward for that which quantifies me for greatness. At
twenty-five I preached on street corners in NYC as an in-the-closet Pentecostal
minister. One day I heard a still small voice say, ‘God cannot be contained in a
book or a law or even in a religion. Dig deeper, reach further to find me, and
you will find your authentic Self.’”
A Year to CLEAR Challenge!
The acronym CLEAR
stands for (Compassionate, Loving,
Enthusiastic, And Relationship-Ready). The goal of this project is to
engulf readers in a weekly study that will transform them by removing blocks,
promote self-growth, and give them wings to fly freely into daily life. Each
week, by going to BoSebastian.com and choosing the Year to CLEAR Challenge tab,
a new challenge or thought to provoke conversation, growth, and group
functionality.
My vision is to make Finding Authentic You the book to
have in your Kindle or on your computer. The book is a comprehensive look at
growth—spiritually, mentally, and physically.
As a yoga teacher and student of the Ayurvedic tradition, I bring
to the table understanding of physical challenges, the ability to overcome
mental problems with Life & Health Coaching, as well as hypnotherapy, and
expertise in meditation and spirituality as a minister.
The combination of all three in one book with an interactive
connection to like-minded readers, for one year, is what makes this Year to
CLEAR Challenge a must-do for every spiritual seeker.
The One-Year Approach to Change
No one believes he or she can change overnight. But success in
change comes from the metaphors of nature. Seasonally, life changes all around
us in nature. Finding Authentic You offers a gradual change perspective,
looking at the triune aspects of change as in yoga: Body, Mind and Spirit.
Accessing the
ability to change and finding
yourself actually pursuing change must be a daily search, which I call
getting to the “observer mind.”
In this frontal cortex of the brain we find the anatomy of
change and the power to counter every negative trigger of the human process.
The workings of Hypnosis, NLP (Neuro-linguistic Programming) and EMDR (Eye
Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) are all positive actions to help the
mind and body flow to a positive space for change.
Every aspect of FINDING AUTHENTIC YOU fulfills this
constant need for diffusing the negative past and dreaming of a fulfilling
future.
Step 1: Recognize That Change is Inevitable
Step 2: Release from Resistance
to Change
Step 3: Understanding Change and Allow Spirit to Define It
Step 4: A History Lesson—About You
Step 5: Look at Your Past with Compassion
Step 6: Making a Strong Commitment to Change
Step 7: Dream Your Fabulous Future
TOOLS FOR CHANGE:
Go to Storefront to buy any of the following or make a
donation to Finding Authentic You: www.shop.bosebastian.com
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My Latest Book: Finding Authentic You—7 Steps to
Effective Change (800 page downloadable Kindle version)
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Introduction to Meditation
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Smoke Cessation mp3
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Weight Loss mp3
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Hypnotic Lap Band surgery Mp3
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Insomnia mp3
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Eternal Om mp3
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Meditation Music mp3
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Guide to Meditation mp3
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Healing the Body mp3
·
And my “Lessons from the Heart” book ready for
your download purchase.
Go to Home Page: www.BoSebastian.com
* * *
Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health
Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New
Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at
615-400-2334 or www.bosebastian.com.
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Also, look for MY LATEST BOOK: “Finding Authentic You, 7 Steps to
Effective Change” with a Year to CLEAR (C-larity, L-ove, E-nthusiasm A-nd
R-elationship-Ready) on my Website in the Webstore. Thanks!
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