Going With the Flow

 I find it interesting how simple phrases can mean so many different things.  For example, the phrase "go with the flow"; in my mind this felt like being told to go along with things, to stop being difficult, to give in and stop questioning what was going on.  As time has passed, I find myself interpreting this in a much different way.

This change in view became evident on my run the other morning.  I was going along a stretch that I often cover and was running at a pace that was a bit faster than my usual pace.  Although I was moving well, there was an underlying sense of constriction or struggle.  It wasn't like I was in an all-out sprint or anything of that nature, and yet I still felt awkward in my movements.  The word "flow" flashed in my mind, and I started to feel a greater sense of ease come into the picture and could feel the awkwardness dissipate.  I was going with the flow.  As I continued along I kept repeating "flow" and felt how that one word made a difference in the rest of my run.

As I returned home I had a chance to catch my breath and reflect on what had taken place.  By allowing myself to go with the flow I had removed difficulty and replaced it with ease.  It wasn't a matter of going along with what was happening or giving up on a hard effort.  It was all about allowing what was happening in that moment to just happen.  Without forcing, or trying to control it or manipulate an outcome.  Being comfortable with the unknown and just letting things flow.  As I think to many different moments in my life, I can pick out the times when I have had the presence and ability to allow flow to take place and the many more times when I have been too concerned with an outcome or the plan I have in mind to invite ease into the picture.  When I compare the outcomes from these scenarios, although the end results may be similar the routes taken were much different - one being much less draining and more fulfilling than the other by far.  

In my head I can picture myself attempting to swim against the current, versus allowing the water to carry me in the direction that I am meant to be going in.  The idea of being carried by the current may feel like a different way of giving up or giving in, but it is not.  Even when we are being carried by the current, we need to stay present and aware so we aren't swept into the shoreline; instead of allowing ourselves to be completely overpowered by the water's energy we can tune into it and allow it to help us in our journey.  Sometimes allowing flow to come into the picture may mean that you do end up in a different destination than the one you had imagined, and what I wonder is if that in itself if always a terrible thing?  Perhaps this sense of flow is actually more of a gentle push that is guiding us to where we are really meant to be in the first place.  

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