Dr. John Inzerillo: Navigating the Storms of Life | Eastern North Carolina Now

   Publisher's note: We are most pleased, and quite humbled, to have the opportunity to bring to our readership the often reflective, and always knowledgeable words of Oncologist John Inzerillo, MD.

   This is the seventh installment of a multi-part series, which began on June 2, 2012.

    The rain pours down rumbling on the roof top. The lightning crackles and sends shivers up the spine. It is that time of year when the oppressive heat of the day naturally leads to late afternoon and evening storms. Running out from Food Lion to the car, groceries in tow, my shirt becomes drenched in seconds. Too wet for the AC I turn up the heat and feel comforted.

    No matter how hard we try there is nothing we can do to avert the naturally occurring storms in life. Conditions become such that the only thing that can happen is what we call precipitation. It would happen even if we did not have a name for it. Seems that the thunder this year rumbles on for a longer time than I ever remembered, then maybe I am just paying closer attention to it than I ever did. The departing sound reminds me of the evaporating ring of the meditation bell as it dissipates into the unknown. At times while practicing classical guitar, I can appreciate the same movement and vibration of sound as it melts and melds into nothingness.
Dr. John staying positive through all the sadness that envelops his work: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage
    We are not untouched by the weather or the events that occur around us. The events of 9/11 have forever changed the way we travel. The senseless shooting at the movie theater in Colorado this past week will make us all think the next time we walk in to experience the next Hollywood blockbuster. Then again, life is like theater, as Shakespeare told us, we all play a part.

    We are all familiar with the phrase, when it rains it pours, and it is just that, a saying. As we know, sometime we are just blessed with a sprinkle, a cooling rain that just hits the spot. When we choose to focus on the negative, or the persistent, recurring storms in our lives, we set ourselves up for disappointment. Sometimes we can feel so battered that we think we will never get relief. Will this rain never stop? That is the time to give in to what we are feeling and accept what is, knowing that no matter how hard it is raining on us, no matter how loud, or bone shaking, the thunder may be, it cannot, and will not last.

    Challenges are meant to make us stronger, to help and encourage us to change our way of thinking. When viewed in this way it is much easier to accept the challenges we face and hopefully, with experience and time, welcome those challenges. Whether we walk, run, wade, or struggle through the storm, with each passing experience we are given the opportunity to feel greater confidence, warmth, and the renewing energy of our shining star.

    For now pay attention to the rain as it nourishes the earth. The brilliant greens of the grass and trees are simply a reflection of the newly planted seeds of compassion germinating in our hearts. As the storms of summer support our world, realize that the individual storms we face help to make us who we are and who we will become.