UPHEAVAL isn’t usually something we welcome with open arms. A guest that we prepare for assiduously, fluffing the pillows, uncorking our best bottle of wine so that we may have a civil, well-tailored conversation.

Upheaval most often arrives unannounced, blowing us over with its seemingly overnight arrival, its ungracious, selfish timing. Never mind if it has been building a plan for some time, approaching with focused intention for many months and years. Upheaval always feels a bit like a punch in the gut.

It is the very opposite of what we naturally seek, the part of us that searches for a comfortable surface on which to lie after a full day’s work. It flashes in wild contrast to our desire for ease and calm, a semi-predictable path that will get us from here to there.

To boot, when we are turned upside-down and inside-out, large piles of incongruent, confusing material lying randomly at our feet, we are apt to unconsciously give over to our most primal instincts. Unbecoming, not-fully-conscious behaviors meant to protect, thwart, justify, normalize, deflect at all costs.

And hard as it may seem, our job amidst all of this Upheaval is to wonder. To wonder why it has decided to pay us a visit, come at this specific moment in time with this particular shape and conduct.

For there one thing that is always true about Upheaval:
It never materializes without purpose.

Upheaval shows itself when the pleasantries of small nudges and whispers haven’t worked, when it has methodically determined that your ears are filled with wax, your eyes blinded by the distractive volume of only what is right in front of you.

And though it may feel destructive, dark and entangled, Upheaval has an endgame in mind, a point of light to follow. It merely uses everything it has at its disposal to get your undivided attention so that you don’t get bored and wander off in the direction of complacency.

So when Upheaval comes knocking on your door, do not run and hide, curse it through the keyhole. Muster the courage to open the door and greet it, even as your knees are knocking, your heart pounding, involuntary acts of anxiety and nerves threatening to take you down.

Once you have fully committed to shooting straight with Upheaval, Grace will also arrive. She will be drawn by the force of your willingness, your unwavering resolution to shift to the other side of this raucous quaking, ready to accompany you.

And then it is up to you. To rise up, dust yourself off, walk through the rubble and detritus with your doubt and determination. To wend your way through the certain uncertainty until you find yourself in new, uncharted territory. Holy ground intended to show you the way forward.