Some of my greatest memories as a youth and young adult were spent at Summer Camp. If you spent more than a day or two at camp in Nebraska you were likely to see the weather change. Sometimes not in a favorable direction - at least when you have a hundred campers and staff running around.
As staff, we trained and were prepared on how to respond and keep those on-site safe, if the meteorologists and radar predicted bad weather. On special occasions the county sheriff would call out to the camp, then you knew it was going to be some ‘take shelter’ storms coming our way. When leading at camp some of the most important lessons you could learn were how to pivot all while remaining calm to keep campers calm too.
One of those lessons for me came from a friend with a bit of knowledge of leaves at the time. She commented about how the leaves had turned and that we’d better be prepared for bringing the campers in. I laughed, and still laugh today.
Believe it or not - leaves sometimes turn up before a storm. Some say this is because leaves grow in accordance with the prevailing wind in the area. Winds from incoming storms typically go against the prevailing wind, and the force of the wind causes the leaves to flip.
Its become a funny yet quick way for us to check on each other's safety during mid-west storms with a text to say ‘Have the leaves turned?’ If they are, you better take shelter quickly.
My challenge to each of us this week is to check our leaves - not the actual leaves on the trees, but what are the leaves or indicators in your life of how things are going?
Are you growing?
Have you taken steps recently toward achieving your goals?
What about those in your family - how are their leaves?
If the winds have changed, it may be time for some evaluation. Take some time to intentionally look inward and see if you’re weathering the storms of life in the way you’d like.
If your leaves are turned, or you are unsure of your next best step, I’d love to sit down for a Complimentary Discovery Session with you. Together we can come up with, or check in on your personal growth plan. John Shedd says, “A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” Come into the (Leadership) Harbor for a bit of training so you’re ready to set sail, whether the leaves are turning or not!
Make it a great day,
Chris