What water can teach us about life.
Water is soothing. We love it in all its different forms – oceans, season, rivers, waterfalls, lakes, streams, and rain. It sustains and nourishes us. Water is life. And life is like water, if we choose to make it so. Water flows beyond obstacles, charting new courses for itself. Do you respond like water when you face a bump in the road and flow around it? Or do you fret and fume, smashing your head against a rock every day and hurting yourself?
Water ebbs and flows into different territories, seeping through cracks and surging forward once it finds its space. Trying hard to control life or attempting to force it in a way that suits your perception sucks the joy out of living. Change is a constant in life if you intend to grow. It can be an immensely rewarding experience. Holding on tight can only work for so long and your hold will weaken at some point. You will feel angry and bewildered when change happens anyway. Why don’t you loosen your grip a little and see where the flow of life takes you?
Water is movement. Fresh water is moving water, seeking to explore new terrain. Moving water is life-giving and healthy. Stagnant water is fetid water overrun with weeds, neither flowing in nor out. This is akin to a narrow view of the world, ruled by fear and the belief that there is only one way to live life: by staying frozen in the same place, in your little comfort zone. Keep moving and exploring new ways to realize your potential. Be curious and keep learning what you can at every stage in your life. Don’t you want to step out and experience life?
Water adapts. It takes the shape of the landscape without expecting the landscape to change for it. It becomes the object it fills. Instead of wishing things were different, deal with life’s situations head-on and adjust your course to changing winds. Take charge of shaping yourself without being forced into an uncomfortable mold dictated by others’ perspectives. One size can never fit all, regardless of what you are made to believe. If this were true, we would all feel and think the same. You are unique. Celebrate and sculpt yourself.
Water has no borders. It flows into every crevice, connecting us through its oceans, seas, rivers, channels and lakes. Connect with different people, listen to different perspectives, and absorb varied experiences. Become your own person instead of attempting to blindly fulfill expectations thrust upon you.
Water is expansive, generous and unconditional. It gives to all without prejudice and has no expectations. Rain feeds and nourishes the earth. It regenerates life and provides for all living creatures. Be like the rain and give what you can to help others live a better life. There is no better joy than the joy of giving.
Water can also destroy and terrify. Floods and tsunamis can annihilate entire communities. Negativity can start as a trickle and flood your mind in seconds. Plugging negative thoughts or avoiding them never works. Always observe the cause of the trickle, accept it and move on with clarity. Your thoughts can imprison you in a cage of your own making. Keeping a clear, open and accepting mind space destroys the negative tsunamis in your head. If you allow them to grow, your mind will be a dank, mold-filled space populated with dark thoughts.
Like water, life goes on. It doesn’t stop for anyone. Think of what you’d like to do and try to live that choice as well as you can while you still have the gift of life. This will keep you focused, happy and in balance. Keep flowing steadily on. Water always finds a way and so will you.
To have faith is to trust yourself to the water. When you swim you don’t grab hold of the water, because if you do you will sink and drown. Instead you relax, and float. – Alan Watts
