The quiet before the storm

I never really understood the meaning of the saying 'the quiet before the storm'. Maybe I can blame this being a California girl who was spoiled and grew up in the Bay Area. Our storms consist of a bit of rain and maybe some rare pencil eraser sized hail. Earthquakes don't really count as a storm and they were over before you ever realize what is really going on. I lived in the south for college for a year, survived a few tornado warnings. But we were inside homes or buildings and the radio was on as loud as could be, plus I could barely focus on anything aside from the beating of my heart which felt as if it was trying to escape my chest.

And so, it took this week for me to realize that while things have been typical with the ex between his harassing emails and his constant desire to try to stir up problems with me, I really had no idea that I was settling in to a peaceful time before the storm hit. And so I am going 'round my home battering down the hatches, placing my bags of sand outside my doors and hammering plywood over my windows. I'm in flight or fight mode and this time I'm in for the fight of my life as the ex has begun showing that our current stipulation and agreement is detrimental to our children. I am surrounded by quiet and I find myself drawing within, preparing myself for the battle. We will see where this goes. I'm praying that we all are able to recover from whatever the storm decides to throw at us.