A GREAT TEACHER...Living Like Water
Water is a great teacher that shows us how to
move through the world with grace, ease,
determination, and humility. The journey of water as
it flows upon the earth can be a mirror of our own
paths through life. Water begins its residence on
earth as it falls from the sky or melts from ice and
streams down a mountain into a tributary or stream.
In the same way, we come into the world and begin
our lives on earth.
Like a river that flows within the confines of
its banks, we are born with certain defining
characteristics that govern our identity. We are
born in a specific time and place, within a specific
family, and with certain gifts and challenges.
Within these parameters, we move through life,
encountering many twists, turns, and obstacles along
the way just as a river flows.
Water is a great teacher that shows us how to
move through the world with grace, ease,
determination, and humility. When a river breaks at
a waterfall, it gains energy and moves on, as we
encounter our own waterfalls, we may fall hard but
we always keep moving on. Water can inspire us to
not become rigid with fear or cling to what’s
familiar. Water is brave and does not waste time
clinging to its past, but flows onward without
looking back. At the same time, when there is a hole
to be filled, water does not run away from it in
fear of the dark; instead, water humbly and bravely
fills the empty space.
In the same way, we can
face the dark moments of our life rather than run
away from them.
Eventually, a river will empty into the sea.
Water does not hold back from joining with a larger
body, nor does it fear a loss of identity or
control. It gracefully and humbly tumbles into
the vastness by contributing its energy and merging
without resistance. Each time we move beyond
our individual egos to become part of something
bigger, we can try our best to follow the lead of
the river.