This has been a very challenging time for us all. The economy, the infrastructure, the schools, the government, all of it seems fractured. So much has changed, and it doesn't feel like change for the better.I remember being afraid of change when I was small. I wanted to always live with my mom and dad in my home, have the same friends, and be the same age forever. Some of those immature fears still linger especially in uncertain times like these when things are so bad it's hard to imagine an abundant future. . . and yet there is something about all this that seems "right" in an odd way, perhaps because it's time for the "old way" to die.
It's hard to acknowledge that, because it can be painful to watch our old life and habitual ways of being disappearing. It's like the death of a parent. We remember their better times, and can't seem to face their aging. The house that was once so clean and such a source of pride is dusty and messy. The clothing so immaculate is spotted with food. Incontinence forces our dignified parents into diapers. We watch with sadness, helplessness, and sometimes anger as the independent folks we knew disappear and are replaced by these weak, helpless and ailing adult babies who don't remember who we are.
When we hang onto anything, it creates stress and suffering. Hanging on to what once was not only stops the flow of life but keeps us from receiving whatever's coming. We know we can't hang on to our parents, we can't stop their inevitable demise. It's the same with the social changes life is throwing at us now. It seems so normal to freak out, but how much easier it would be, how much more peaceful and calm we would feel if we could just watch and experience these changes with wonder and grace, fully accepting what is.
Life moves like a river, sometimes fast and sometimes slow. Sometimes the water is shallow and full of rocks and sometimes it's deep, and lazy. On those slow, rich, sunny passages we can be lulled into a feeling that nothing will ever change, and then, around the bend, a waterfall.
There is an art to riding the river. Let go of the oars. Whahoo!
Watch what comes, watch what goes, and don't get attached to anything. Find joy in the act of living itself. Appreciate the variety. After all, nothing ever stays the same. Change is the only constant.
There is one thing I hold onto when the current gets too turbulent: the river of life will always carry you where ever you need to be. Relax and let the river take you home.
Love,
Kristine
