This piece is adapted from my private journal, written in the moment on a stormy afternoon in Newark Bay. The time and date are as they appeared that day.

Seagull floating on stormy water, symbolizing zero resistance and oneness

🌩️ Log Entry:Date: Friday, December 19, 2025 Time: 15:30 Hours Location: Newark Bay, NJ (Loading Operations) Conditions: Heavy Squall Line, High Winds

A specific level of vigilance is required when working on a barge. You cannot ignore the weather; you have to live in it. Zero resistance isn’t just a spiritual idea—it’s a lived necessity.

Yesterday afternoon, we were loading in Newark Bay. The first wave of the storm had hit earlier, bringing heavy rain, but I could see the real weight of the system moving in from the southwest along the Jersey shore. The clouds were dark, fast, and driving with intent.

In my job, there is no running inside when the sky turns black. You have to stand your ground. This is where zero resistance becomes survival.

As the wind picked up, signaling the arrival of the squall, I spotted a seagull off my port side. I’ve always admired seagulls. They don’t just fly; they dance. Turbulence that grounds other birds becomes their playground. But this time, watching him felt different.

Instead of just observing with my eyes, I reached out with my heart. I opened my center and allowed my awareness to flow toward him.

The Entanglement

Suddenly, the separation between “Man” and “Bird” collapsed.

I could feel the wind on his face. I sensed the micro-adjustments of his tail feathers as he dove into the trough of the wind. I felt the exhilaration as he tilted his wings to catch an updraft, letting the chaotic air throw him high into the sky.

He was a master surfer, and the storm was his wave. There was no fear—only the thrill of the ride. This is the essence of zero resistance.

Turning my awakened heart toward the storm itself, I felt its raw physics. The energy churned in circles across the sky—a primordial soup of life, pure focused purpose. The storm wasn’t “angry”; it simply was. It had a mission, a direction, a momentum that considered the beings below as little as a train considers a leaf on the tracks.

Yet, I wasn’t afraid. I felt zero resistance to the storm. I felt part of it.

As heavy rain poured, I looked for my friend. The seagull had landed and was floating on the choppy water. I could still feel him. He didn’t mind the water. He didn’t wish he were dry. He didn’t feel sorrow about the cold December rain. He just swam. He was Just Being.

And that’s when the realization landed: so was I. In the middle of a freezing winter squall, standing on the deck of a barge, I hadn’t once thought, “This sucks.” I wasn’t bracing against the reality of the moment.

Because I was connected to the bird and the storm, I had entered a state of zero resistance. I knew it was raining. I could feel the cold. But I had no opinion about it. The suffering doesn’t come from the rain; it comes from resisting the rain. When you drop the resistance, you are just a part of the storm, standing in your Sovereignty.

The cell passed after about 20 minutes. As I watched it pull away toward the skyline, a massive chain lightning bolt ripped out of the clouds—just one.

It felt like a signature. An acknowledgment from the atmosphere of the connection we had just shared.

We are experiential beings. We’re not here to hide from the storms; we’re here to feel the lift under our wings. When we stop fighting the “weather” of our lives and start dancing with it, we find the joy the seagull knows. We find zero resistance—and with it, true oneness.

• Accept What Is: Notice when you’re resisting and consciously relax into the present moment.
• Connect with Nature: Spend time observing natural flowlike birds, water, or windto feel the rhythm of surrender.
• Breathe and Center: Use deep, mindful breaths to open your heart and release tension, inviting presence and calm.

When have you felt most “in the storm” but also most alive? What happens when you Just Be and engage zero resistance, trusting the moment as it is?

Zero resistance isn’t about escaping discomfort. It’s about surrendering to the experience and remembering your connection to all things.