Seeing life as it is, is to jump into the flow and let it take you where it will.
Often, people stand on the river bank and look at those who had the courage to go out into deep parts of the river and say,
“I wish I could swim better, I’d go out there too.”
Or they say something like,
“I need to learn a bit more about the river before I can get in it. I should probably do some training to become a better swimmer too. What if it’s the wrong river?! Seems like a lot of work to get out deep parts.”
Others might stand there looking on and say,
“Well, I didn’t bring my bathing suit, so I can’t go right now. Looks nice though…”
Still, another person says,
“I can’t be out here in front of all these people in a bathing suit! I mean could you imagine what they’d think of me?!”
Then, a few others dip their toes in the shallow water and say,
“Oh, well that water is sort of cold. Can you imagine how cold it must be out in the deeper parts? I mean, what’s wrong with those people out in the deep water? How ignorant of them to just jump into the river! They don’t know where it’ll take them or even what’s around the bend!”
Then, those that dipped their toes turn to walk up the riverbank and mutter,
“How dangerous and foolish is it to be one of them out in the water.”
Before long a few others walk into the water until their knees get wet and start to feel the pull of the current. They get wide-eyed and worried about being swept into the deep where they can’t touch the river’s bottom. They tell themselves,
“This is far enough, I suppose. I better not go any further or I’ll be swept away. This feels nice though.”
If you’re at the river long enough you’ll notice a bubbly-faced person walking down to the water’s edge, stripping off their clothes along the way, and smiling at everyone. They don’t stop. They just keep from the riverbank out into the water until they have to swim to the deeper parts. Then, a switch happens and suddenly they’re like, uh oh…
“I’ve come this far, so I had better stay here swimming against the current so I don’t really go anywhere. After all, at least I’m in the deep river!”
So, they swim as hard as they need to against the flow of water, and then before long they end up tired, confused, and feeling a little helpless. They’ll even question what they’re doing out there in the first place.
Then, while you were watching all the people on the shore you look back out at the river and see a person you hadn’t noticed before in the water. They quietly walked to the water’s edge without being noticed and stood there unassumingly for a while staring at the deep part of the river.
Then, without looking back they start out to the deep river. Once they get to where they can’t touch, they stop swimming face down, turn over so their face meets the sunshine, take in a deep breath, and relax into the flow of the river. No excitement, no splashing, and no struggle.
It’s easy to miss that the unassuming one went through the same mental circus just like all the others. They didn’t act on all those same thoughts, they just seemed to trust that being in the deep water was the way for them.
The ones who relax into the river’s current will surely bump into the shallow ground, or even get run aground sometimes. They somehow learn that it’s part of the experience that comes from relaxing in the flowing water. Oh, the sites they’ll see and the things they’ll experience along the way.
Here’s the thing. It’s okay to be every one of the people standing on the water’s edge at one time or another. I certainly was, yet the river kept pulling me back to its edge, and each time I waded deeper into it. Until it came time to let go and allow the river to take me where it may.
You only need to return to the river’s edge as many times as it takes.
