Life keeps on moving on, even if you aren’t ready. I was imagining life as if I was floating down a stream. Sometimes it feels like everything is moving fast and you have no time to stop and look around. Other times, it feels like you are barely getting anywhere but if you stop to enjoy the moment it can be quite nice. There are times where you might feel as if you are drowning instead of floating. As I’ve been reflecting on my life the last few weeks, I feel as if I’m currently stuck up on a rock in this stream. Part of me is trying to fight the flow of life that is inevitably going to carry me to a new place. I know it’s coming, but I’m clinging to this rock because I can’t see what’s beyond the bend in the stream. I keep trying to climb up on the rock to see what I should do, but maybe the best thing to do right now is just let go and trust the flow of life to carry me safely around the bend.
I once thought I might die at the Blizzard Beach wave pool at Disney World. I was in my 20s and on vacation with friends. I was having so much fun and swam out to the deeper area to be tossed around by the big wave machine. Well after a few minutes my body started to tire and I had this sense of panic. I wasn’t sure I could keep paddling as the waves kept getting bigger. My first reaction was to try and paddle harder and harder which just added to my exhaustion. I started to envision myself getting pulled out by the lifeguard as everyone watched. Eventually, I tried relaxing and just letting myself float on top of the waves to get a rest which worked until the scheduled timer ended and the pool returned to calm. Then I was able to muster my remaining strength and swim back to the entrance. I was too embarrassed to say anything to my friends, but later my best friend told me that he had been in the same sense of panic as he also became tired and flailed around. It brought me so much comfort to know that I had not been alone in my poor choices and panic. We had both been faced with 3 choices at that moment- fight the waves which wouldn’t last forever, ask for help from the guard which neither of us was willing to do, or flow with the waves and let them carry us along to safety.
Does your life feel a bit like that wave pool? This past year has been wave after wave of things hitting us. Every month has brought some kind of new crisis in our world. We have all been stuck in this churn of never-ending and unpredictable change in our world. Are you fighting, flowing, or asking for help? There is no right answer, but one way or another we are going to keep floating down the stream. I’m terrible at asking for help, and I’m tired of fighting, so I think it’s time to relax and go with the flow. I trust the Universe to take me where I need to go. There will be bends in the stream, there will be rapids, and there will be calm moments to just float through. So I’m giving up the fight. I’m gonna lean back and float for a minute and enjoy the view. There is beauty all around, and I don’t want to miss it while I fight the current issues. Anyone else feel like taking a deep breath and relaxing for a minute? Even if it’s only for a few minutes each day, find time to just flow. I promise it will make the journey of life more pleasurable.
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