23. River Road

 

7/14/14

I sit here this morning and breathe in the delicious, slow summer air. The early morning feels safe and hopeful. Another opportunity to press our re-set buttons and begin anew. I want time to stop please. Maybe 8am could last for 4 hours or so. Then we would have enough time to just BE, before all the doing ensues.

There I go again, dreaming about the way things could, would or should be. If they gave out awards for such activities I would clearly rank Best in Show. Maybe it’s the result of an active imagination. Or maybe it’s just my plain old ego fighting with what is. The Buddhist’s say that suffering arises when we resist the flow of life. In other words, our refusal to accept things that are new or different is always lurking at the core of our distress. And so our topic arises.

With the windows open, I can hear the constant sound of the river, high from the recent rainfall, rushing past the house and around the bend. In one moment, I can imagine myself desperately attempting to create a dam that would put a stop to the endless flow. I would be screaming, “We need to control this mess right now, I can’t listen to the sound of life passing me by for one more second.” In the next moment, I imagine myself right there in the stream, floating gracefully with the current, donning a big tire around my waste, a colorful sun umbrella, and full confidence that I have the strength and breath to ride the choppy waters.

I know that most of us can’t actually hear the sound of moving water outside our window, but we can certainly feel the difference between our moments of resistance, or arguing with what is, and our moments of flow, or trusting the process. Resistance is fear and flow is love and they are both available to us at any given time. Choosing to enter the flow is a daily practice for those of us who naturally lean towards resistance. Here’s what is looks like….

1. Breathe deeply and imagine landing in your body, entering this moment.
2. Shift your awareness to your senses.
3. Send a directive to your muscles that it’s ok to relax.
4. Accept yourself and the present moment as it is.
5. Allow the release of any negative energies (our own or other’s limiting beliefs) that are pulling you into the past and/or pushing you into the future. In other words, stop fighting. 
6. Ask yourself what shift you can make (either in action or perception) that will help you to enter the flow, or to feel more alive. 
7. Trust that stepping into the process and finding your flow is not only the most responsible use of your time, but also the only way to manifest a life that is both a fulfilling adventure and a unique expression of your love.
8. Let go, jump into your tire float, open your colorful umbrella, feel the breeze, and allow the water to gently carry you away.
9.  Repeat the process ad nauseam until it takes.

Let’s  jump together. Today is as good a day as any.

With love,

Jane