We have to move, in order to move forward. Life is a journey, a river which takes us from the source to the mouth. Every river flows, one way or another. Some parts of the river are calm and serene, while others are wild and raging.
With every passing tributary, is another way for us to travel from one place to another. Like logs in the water, we float our way through each passing season. We watch as nature passes us at each turning point, and we accept that the river will guide us. We need not resist, as the water flows naturally.
In my short life, I’ve learnt that sometimes we move from the river and find ourselves down a treacherous tributary. Oftentimes, we aren’t even aware of how we ended up there. In cases like this, we have to find our way back to the source, knowing that the source will take us out to the mouth; our eventual destiny.
The air moves like a river and carries the clouds with it; just as running water carries all the things that float upon it. — Leonardo da Vinci
But it isn’t always as easy as swimming upstream, or walking through the dangerous forest or outcrops. We have to be calculated, patient and calm. The journey isn’t for the faint hearted, it’s for the brave. Those who choose to embody a life of growth know that in doing so they accept that they will be tested and pushed to their limits.
Nothing worth living for comes easy, but knowing that every sacrifice is absolutely worth it. Giving up something in the short term, for the long term gratification. As the river of life flows for all of us, we all make a choice as to how we want to make our way to the mouth. Some just flow their entire lives, while others resist and struggle to accept their path. Some, like myself, want to carve their own path for their life. We are willing to try new things, take risks, and do things others may not be willing to do, in order to see where that may take us.
There is no right way. We are all on the journey of life, and this is a subjective journey for us all. But just like any journey, there are always inherent dangers. A fast and dangerous current, rocky rapids, hungry predators, or even a looming storm. Life is full of variables, some we control and most of which we cannot.
We know that all we can do is accept that the present moment is all we have. The here, and the now. We all have a limited amount of resources with which we can utilise in moving through the variables of life. Not everyone is equipped the same — some of us have tools and weapons, while others of us have had to forage for our resources.
Mother nature is life. The river is mother nature. The river is a symbol of human lives and our journey with mother nature. With everything being connected, the river acts as a conduit between ourselves and our environment. A beautiful tapestry of the complicatedness of humans, life, and the reality of lives on planet earth.
In order to flow with live, we have to be the river. As Bruce Lee once said, “empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash.”
Like the river, we can flow with the current, or resist and drown in the process. Accepting ourselves for who we are and our present moment means who hold space and grace for ourselves. There are parts of the river we don’t like, such as the rapids, or waterfalls. We flow with the water, but sometimes we crash with it too. True acceptance is knowing that the river will continue to flow. Knowing that although you’re under water, struggling to catch your breath, that this too shall pass.
There is order in chaos, calm in calamity, and an eye in every storm.
The river is one of my favourite metaphors, the symbol of the great flow of Life Itself. The river begins at Source, and returns to Source, unerringly. This happens every single time, without exception. We are no different. — Jeffrey R. Anderson
