Almost every day I bring the dogs to this spot along the Tolt River by my home to run around and swim. I come out here just to watch the river flow. Before this past winter’s massive flood, there was a rock beach here that I would hang out on. After the flood, the river changed course and covered my little rocky beach. Lately, I’ve been talking to friends and seeing many posts about people struggling with the challenges of staying at home, and wanting to go back to life as “normal”. The truth is… normal was not working and hadn’t worked for a long time. We took nature for granted, we took lots for granted and the friction we are feeling now is hopefully helping us realize what is really important in our life. I hope we never go back to exactly how things were before.
I am trying to connect with the energy of this river today and let my resistance to this new way of life flow easier through me. When I clamp down and try to resist this change, my intellect becomes like the rock in this video…I actually end up causing the flow of my life to go backwards which causes me to suffer. Have you ever stood on the shore and tried to stand still as the waves wash out to sea, taking along with it most of the sand under your feet until you eventually lose your balance? That same thing happens in our life. When we resist the flow around us, our intellect takes over and we think ourself into a state of feeling crazy, we lose our balance! Life becomes difficult, there are challenges all around us and we feel trapped because WE have made ourselves become trapped.
If we can let go of our emotional attachments to the way things were, we become open to flow, move, create, adapt and evolve into something new. This lockdown has been hard for all of us… AND it has forced us to get creative, take responsibility for our wellbeing and adapt to this change. My feed is filled with friends coming up with creative ways to survive offering yoga classes online, Zoom is everywhere now allowing us to appreciate the opportunities when we get to see our friends and family over video calls. All this creativity is amazing…and, yes, it is sad that the way of life we became used to is gone and that so many lives have been lost from this virus. Definitely mourn those losses… AND every morning, listen to the birds sing their songs welcoming in the new day.
Don’t get me wrong, my life is not perfect or how I imagined it would be at this moment in my life. But who’s life is perfect? I am so grateful Ash & I get to live with two of my best friends who have become part of my family. I get to live out in nature on an amazing piece of property. I get to help friends build beautiful websites that will help them reach their dreams. I have my sacred tools to keep me company when times get really tough too. I have a lot to be grateful for in this moment. Struggle is not the enemy… our mind can be though. When we face challenges, we become stronger. We grow, evolve and gather new tools to help us along this path of life. Our Spirit wants to flow… Our intellect wants to process data… Our heart wants to feel connection with others. My hope is that we can look outside and see how our Mother Nature is still moving forward each day, adapting to the changes presented to her… and still the rivers flow and the birds sing.
