Overcoming fear
There are times in our lives when we all fear something. The fear of losing a loved one, being fired, not having enough money for food, not to forget the times that we had to stand in front of the class for a speech.
I don’t have a phobia, but fears were also part of my life.
You could have called me pretty ordinary, as I had no big fear. This all changed this week, in the afternoon of Monday, June 3, 2024.
I was watching the cricket match between South Africa and Sri Lanka when the wind started to blow. We have a big wind chime hanging from a tree. I was listening to the sounds, thinking that it was the first time that I had heard the clanging so loud. It was beautiful.
My stepson came running into my room. “There is a tornado on its way!” What? A tornado! No ways. We don’t get tornadoes in South Africa. Then the messages started to come in. It was no longer just the wind chime clanging, but my phone was now part of the orchestra.
Tongaat, a small town 18 km from us, was hit by a tornado, and it was heading our way. It was getting dark outside, and rain started to fall. My husband was not home! The anxiety started to kick in. Luckily, he was only a few blocks from home.
I was scared… I feared the unknown. Where is the tornado now? Will our house withstand a tornado? A million questions must have crossed my mind. For once, I felt there was a lack of information. I wanted to know where, what, and how.
Videos started to come in from residents who were traveling from Durban, showing overturned trucks, uprooted trees, and blocked roads. Still, we had no idea where the tornado was. The fear caused by anxiety and not knowing is unexplainable.
How did I motivate myself to overcome this fear? I started to cook and I started to pray.
We started receiving reports of electricity that had gone out in parts of our town. It’s here!
Then, all of a sudden, the rain and wind stopped, and everything was back to normal. The tornado disappeared over the ocean, and the only thing left was to see if there were any damages. We were so lucky; it was only our yard and swimming pool that were scattered with leaves and branches from trees.
This was not the case for those who faced the tornado. Twelve people lost their lives, and more than a thousand are homeless. We are hosting a family of three who lost everything. Their biggest fear was not knowing what was going to happen next. Would the tornado turn back and also claim their lives?
I’ve taken images from various news channels, and I’ve made them my own by “stitching” parts of them together to create my artistic expression of… “Fear of the Unknown.”
Just belief!
I invite @ngoenyi, @m-fdo and @mesola to participate in this contest
Thank you to @fadlymatch @max-pro @hooriarehman @ogechukwu-martha @josepha
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Fear of the unknown kills faster than the unknown. The fear of tornado kills way more than the tornado. I am glad that you were not affected. My heart goes to the affected and my condolences to the bereaved family. Natural disasters are out of Human control, we can only be on the lookout for information about it and the precautions to take.
You have a big heart by housing those victims.
It is good to let go of fears and anxiety. After all, who is us by being anxious can add a cubit to his life span? We wait for the time when all things will beade new and by then, even fear of the unknown will be gone forever.
Thank you for the invite, let's see how it goes
Thank you for the visit, my friend! 🎕
Now you know what I was busy with yesterday when I told you I was busy with guests.
It breaks my heart to see people suffering like this because of natural disasters, but unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it to stop it. All we can do is lend a helping hand where needed.
Main this is serious tornado is very bad.its capable oof destroying thing even kill humans.
I'm happy your family where not affected. It's a pity that some family was affected. But who are we to question God when such an unexpected things happen.
You have absolutely nailed it! Who are we to question? (•ิ‿•ิ)
I have learned over the years that God doesn't bring things over our paths without a reason.
For us, it was a reminder to count our blessings.
Thank you for the visit and beautiful comment.
You are welcome ma.
Saludos querida amiga @patjewell.
Que terrible se debe haber sentido en ese momento. Realmente a veces el miedo a lo desconocido para nosotros nos invade, ya que no era común un tornado donde vive. Pero gracias a sus oraciones el tornado se desvió hacia otro lugar y no paso de lleno por su hogar. La Oración tiene poder y mas cuando lo hacemos de corazón.
Siento mucho las perdidas humanas que sufrieron y aquellos que perdieron sus hogares. Que bueno que puedan refugiar a esa familia que lo perdió todo con esta tragedia.
Un fuerte abrazo para usted y los suyos.
Thank you for the visit and the kind words. 🎕
The unknown is a terrible thing. Some people can cope with it, and others cannot..
We were just so lucky. I am sure our Heavenly Father had other plans for us, like opening our property to those in need.
Thank you! A big hug right back at you. (づ๑•ᴗ•๑)づꕤ
The fear of the unknown is usually more scary than what we know. Tornado is what everyone should be afraid of because it is capable of destroying well-made creatures before the twink of an eye. I remember while growing up, I used to be scared of thunder strikes thinking it could easily strike someone's death, like how I used to see it strike people's death in Nigerian movies. I think what you saw is a change of weather that came suddenly. However, it is nice that you took a proactive approach.
What happened was actually very interesting.
We had cold weather that moved in from the south poles, then hit the warm air from the ocean where we stay. It was so bad that we actually had two tornadoes, one here by us and the other more inland.
We were just so lucky!
Thanks for the visit! ☕
Indeed, at that moment one would start thinking of his or her life. That reminds me of my service year when I first experienced the fall of an ice block which got me scared.
Oh gosh! I can just imagine!
These types of tornadoes is really dangerous and can really spoil a whole lot of things and that is the reason why we need to be very careful of them. Thank God your family is safe
The best is that you watch all these news clips, documentaries, and movies about tornadoes, but you never think that they can never happen to you. Thinking that you are safe where you are living.
Always expect the unexpected.
Thank you for the visit and the kind words!🎕
Hola mi bella, lamento mucho que hayan pasado por la incertidumbre de si llegaba o no el tornado, gracias a Dios se desapareció en el océano, sin embargo muchas personas suminse enfrentaron a este monstruo de la naturaleza, que solo acaba con lo que está a su alcance, 12 vidas 🥺😔....
Espero que esto no vuelva a pasar, de verdad que nunca había escuchado sobre tornados en sudáfrica, pero bueno, espero que ese miedo no vuelva a pasar.
Saludos y te deseo mucho éxito y bendiciones!!!!!
Thank you for the visit and the great comment.
Yip, we were lucky, and yes, in the end, we stressed over nothing, but at the time, it wasn't nothing. Not knowing was "eating" me up.
We had a very small tornado in more or less the same area some time ago, but it was nothing like what we've experienced now.
Fingers crossed that it won't happen again. 🤞🏻
Enfrentar el poder de la naturaleza creo que es uno de los miedos más terribles, la incertidumbre, la desesperación y sobre todo la impotencia por aquella fuerza devastadora y dominante.
Es muy lamentable la pérdidas de vidas ante estos eventos, son momentos para reflexionar cuan afortunados somos de estar vivos y poder disfrutar la vida ahora con mayor aprecio por ella.
Dios te ha bendecido con tus oraciones.
Gracias por compartir esta historia tan bien contada.
¡Saludos y bendiciones para tí y toda tu familia!
Blessed we were indeed. Sometime we just need these happenings to bring us back to earth. It was a wakeup call for us.
I was astonished at how quickly and unexpected these things do happen.
Thank you for the visit and the blessings! ☕
Jeez!
Natural disasters are things we don't wish for. The uncertainty...the fear of losing something precious or other things the human mind can't comprehend. It's kind of you to take those family in. My heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy.
Yip! The unknown is something that causes a lot of fear.
Not only with natural disasters but also with other things in our day-to-day lives. We can just ask ourselves, "What is next?" There will be no answer.
Thank you for your visit and your kind words. 🎕
People are still busy cleaning up and trying to save what they can. To rebuild that community, it is going to take a very long time.
Los fenómenos naturales y los desastres que estos pueden causar son muchas veces impredecibles, quizás los de este tipo pudieran tener un mayor nivel de predictibilidad pero con lo mucho que estamos afectando nuestra casa grande creo que puede ser la causa de algo así de espontáneo que por lo visto no llegó a ser avisado por las autoridades.
Momentos de incertidumbre que atemorizan a cualquier persona. Me alegra que para su familia no haya pasado de un susto.
Espero que los afectados encuentren solución y logren rehacer su vida de alguna manera, son afortunados de tener apoyo.
Descanso para quienes perdieron la vida inesperadamente.
Bendiciones
Oh man! It is amazing how people are reacting to the call for help. There are groups for accommodation, food, household items, and animals.
People are just donating right, left, and center.
What a pity that people cannot live in harmony like this all the time.
Thank you for the visit, my friend! 🎕