You’re like an old river
Someone, who shall remain nameless, once told me that I was like an “old river.” I’m sure this wasn’t intended to infer that I’m mere moments from senility. I’m also fairly certain it wasn’t a reference to my having an unstructured and fluid personality. At least, I hope it wasn’t either of those. Maybe I should ask around just to confirm because they both may be plausible descriptions. Either way, don’t feel obligated to jump up and point out that either or both are true.
In case you weren’t already aware, my brain often works in peculiar ways (maybe that’s a sign of senility?). This lovely little anecdote got me thinking about rivers. Here’s the thing. Rivers are constantly flowing and always moving. If they weren’t, they’d just be really long lakes. Sometimes they’re slow and serene. Other times they’re fast and powerful. Rivers move around rocks, boulders, and trees. Over time, the river itself and the landscape around it changes (think erosion). Rivers feed and support the flora and fauna around them. Rivers are an important part of the ecosystem. And they wind their way around through all kinds of environments and geographies until they’ve reached their end-point wherever that may be.
When I think of rivers in that context, I realize that we’re not that much different. We move at different speeds throughout our days, weeks, month, lives. Sometimes that pace changes by the hour like during a heavy rainstorm or when a dam bursts or when things feel slower and more relaxed. Sometimes we must alter our path to get around obstacles or, when those obstacles are exceedingly large, we might change our course altogether. We change. We adapt. We keep moving. And so does the world around us. If we’re doing it all correctly, the world and the people around us benefit.
Whatever your starting point or the contours of the landscape you may encounter, continue to flow with all the power and grace appropriate. Don’t sit idly by like a really long lake. Be part of the ecosystem. Continue to cascade through your days to wherever your river flows (even if it’s next to me in a senility recovery group).
