The River of Life

Entering the River...

I cried two times before 8 am this morning. Yes, this being human brings all kinds of fascinating twists and turns! First, I cried tears of love at 6:30AM while listening to Jack Kornfield tell a beautiful story of a mother grieving her young child. This resurfaced the years of death and dying work I did in palliative care with families and children.

Death is one of my greatest teachers, always bringing focus to what matters most. Then, I moved into the more hectic moments of parenting and getting my youngest ready for in-person learning, and it felt as though thing after thing went left when we were trying to go right. After I dropped her off, the tears came again, but this time they were ones of overwhelm of being a single working parent in a pandemic. I felt the energy of trying to manage it all as it just finally fell apart. Both experiences came and went quickly as I gratefully was able to embrace the heart and its many levels of feeling.

My river of tears created a deep reverence for our human experience and that is why I am sharing this with you. I can clearly see that when I surrendered to the river of tears within me I opened to the great river of love, understanding, and human connection. This is the river of life.

I have often talked about life as a river.

It has been flowing for billions of years and will continue long after we have all left this planet. Yet as humans, we get attached to where the river is headed, fearing the unexpected turns and harsh falls. The river is not being directed by any advice from me or you. Yet, we find ourselves frustrated as we attempt to travel upriver against the natural flow. In these moments, we eventually are pushed down, struggling until we surrender to the river. So why do we find it so hard to let go sometimes?

The mind is a powerful force. Its nature is to attach, cling, and resist. Yet this leaves you clinging to an unstable tree along the side of the riverbank. You hope the tree won’t break, but it does. Ultimately this break becomes the gift. Whether you are holding on for dear life and waiting for the branch to break or choosing to let go on your own, you will see that in the river you find the support that you were seeking. It was always here waiting for you to let it flow behind you and trust the river of life.

Whatever you are facing in life, consider where you are in the river. I feel we all are a part of the great river of life. We are not against the stream. Rather, we are the stream and this is the truth of our human existence. You always have a choice to let go and be present with the mystery of the river of life.

I invite you to join my live on Insight Timer—Trusting the River of Life—this Friday, March 19th at 5PM PST. You are a river, I am a river and we all come together like tributaries reaching the larger river of life. In this time together, we will discuss how to allow your personal river to flow more easily with the larger river of life. Let go, trust and say YES to what is taken and what is given...

Additionally, please join me on Clubhouse today (3.17.21) at 4PM PST with Melissa Meyers, Lisa Gainsley, Karly Treacy, Janet Gunn, Elissa Goodman, and Sarah Fotis.