Going With The Flow
When the Current Pulls Hard
My heart aches with the realisation that there is little I can do to fix this.
All I may do is be available, listen, be kind.
I’ll dig deep, stay calm, be compassionate, and understand this is not a quick fix.
The path is not linear. I must accept this.
This curveball surges in, with the potential to wreck and cause anguish.
My heart aches at the prospect of pain, distress and despair.
This same curve ball has the potential for healing, slowly pooling into renewal.
My heart warms at the potential for growth, strength, and resilience.
Every day I must drift with the flow. Be accepting and adaptable.
There will be a natural unfolding of events. I’ll ripple with them, respond.
The journey plan may be laid out, but currents may shift it at any point.
I reserve my energy for the twists, the eddies, the undertows1.
Every day I must go with the flow.
What’s the alternative? Fixing things I imagine need fixing?
My brain floods with worry.
My heart swells with anxiety and pain.
Going with the flow sounds like an easier approach.
It’s the phrase people use when they’re open to what may surface.
It’s what friends say when they let decisions drift to someone else.
It’s your colleague saying, “I’m happy to follow your lead.”
Or your partner murmuring, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Going with the flow sounds smooth and easy.
Just show up each day and float with whatever comes.
But when you're a planner, a doer, this feels powerless like treading water.
Going with the flow feels like a summer’s day, without a care in the world, when all you need concern yourself with is feeling the sun on your back and enjoying a cool drink in the shade.
But what if the flow isn’t easy?
What if the flow is a tsunami wiping us out?
What if the flow is a sudden thunderstorm or a cascade of water crashing down a waterfall?
What if the flow is a tiny trickle of water dripping over the dry stones of a drought-ravaged riverbed or it’s a white water rafting trip without a crash helmet?
What if the flow is a whirlpool that goes round and round, going nowhere?
What if?
What if?
What if?
There is no second-guessing. So many scenarios. Too many what-ifs.
This is the new normal.
There will be ups, downs, and bits in the middle.
All I may be is present.
No amount of regret changes the past.
No amount of anxiety changes the future.
Any amount of gratitude changes the present. Anon.
This will be my mantra for every day, as this curve ball is now part of our lives and is not going away. It may lie dormant. It may come crashing. It may bounce in and out. Going with the flow and being present is my way of being.
What challenges are you facing right now? Would it serve you to go with the flow, for now, and allow the current to carry you somewhere unexpected but necessary? Not all storms require navigation. Sometimes, the wisest choice is to drift and trust the tide. Allow the wisdom of flow. Allow LOVE to be your life raft.
Eddies are circular currents that can form behind obstacles in water flow e.g. a large rock. Undertows are currents that pull water back towards the ocean.
Good work, wisdom is part of the strength of this article.