Water always goes
A goose goes with the flow of the Potomac River, Washington DC, March 2016.
“Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it…If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does.” — Margaret Atwood
Deceptively powerful and endlessly mesmerizing, water permeates almost every aspect of our lives. It can be dangerous, even lethal, and many people have an instinctive fear of it. Yet its sights and sounds calm our souls, lulling us into deep reverie or lighthearted playfulness.
If you are feeling overwhelmed with too many tasks, or agitated by worry, try a bit of water therapy. Sit and gaze at a flowing river or placid lake. Take a nice warm bath and enjoy a bit of splashing about as a child does. Or simply indulge in a few quiet minutes listening to the sounds of rain, a gurgling stream or fountain, or a kettle simmering with water for tea or coffee.
Whether your visit with water happens literally, virtually or in your imagination, think about Atwood’s description of its gentle tenacity. Water offers us many lessons. If things get tough today, I’ll try shifting to a calming mental picture of its steady rippling beauty. I’ll try flowing on, not resisting, but finding new pathways when I come to obstacles. I invite you to join me in tapping into the fluid power and grace of this everyday element by taking a few minutes to focus on its agile strength.
This post was first published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
- Posted in: Uncategorized
- Tagged: brooks, calming sounds, flow, lakes, oceans, relaxation, ripples, rivers, seas, serenity, soothing images, streams, therapy, water, waves
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