Like Water
“Like water, be gentle and strong.
Be gentle enough to follow the natural paths of the earth,
and strong enough to rise up and reshape the world.”
~ Brenda Peterson
I love this imagery of water. It connects to the peace and tranquility I find when I am near water or can see a big body of water. This is an image I have been told before and the reminder always carries great significance.
Being gentle enough to follow the natural paths of the earth are all about surrender and flexibility. As always, this is a lesson that bears daily reminders. There are days where the flow is easy, even if there is a slight undercurrent or a big rock. The connection to Spirit and Self is one in the same. Then there are the days that I feel like the big boulder. Stuck. Unmoving. Caught in the swirl around me. Feeling isolated and abandoned. Forgetting that it is ok to allow the water to gently carry me. Whenever I feel most stuck, I realize that it is usually because I’m attached to some sort of outcome or expectation. I want things to turn out a certain way because it will be easiest, “best” or least painful. At some point in time, I intend to be as free from attachment as possible. It is a lofty goal, but one that I strive for daily. Attachment only gets me stuck and unable to follow the surprise bend in the flow of the water. Surrender. Flow. Freedom.
It is often overwhelming to believe that I could be strong enough to reshape the world. Yet if I look at it free of attachment of what it all could look like, I realize that I have the ability to reshape the world every single day, starting with me and allow the impact affect those as it is meant to. More attachment comes into play when I hope that the impact is positive, but I make an impact every day. Every choice I make in relation to another person has the power to reshape the world of that person. Every. Single. Choice. I can choose to be present with an open heart or present and full of judgment. I can choose to not present at all and be completely distracted or tune out. I can be harsh in my words or I can be gentle. I can listen with an open heart or dismiss what another person has to say. I can go on and on with examples, but the bottom line is the same: every choice I make has the power to reshape the world of another person.
Having been at the receiving end of hurtful words and dismissive actions, I am always reminded that I have the very same power to do that to another person. And I have. The intention is not one of malice, but due to my self-focus or lack of lovingkindness toward another, hurt happens. It is easy to get wrapped up in my own story and miss out on the opportunity to see things from the perspective of another person. It sounds so simple, but shifting perspective is paramount.
Even if the intention and words are full of love, they may not be received in that way. When the words are not received with the intention in which they were spoken, I am offered another opportunity to be gentle enough to follow the path before me. I need to see that their life current is flowing differently than mine and to offer love, not more judgment. In the process of being gentle (and free of attachment), I can find myself being strong enough to reshape the world of another person.
It is a challenge for me to keep all of this in my awareness when life offers me the opportunity to put it into practice. When friends hear something other than what is being said and respond with defensiveness, hurt and fear, I have to remember to be gentle enough to follow the natural path and strong enough to reshape the world…especially when the world most affected and reshaped is my own.