Obstacles

Yesterday I took a walk by the river.  It was beautiful. Serene.  I climbed over rocks, walked on sandy shores and contemplated my life and which direction it was flowing to.  As I walked, I noticed the sounds of the river changing, getting louder, making more noise, creating more friction.  I kept walking and the river got quiet, still flowing, still moving in the right direction, just more smoothly and without all the racket.

It was the obstacles that created the noise.  The river didn't change, it kept flowing in the direction it was created to flow in, it just got noisy and rough when there were obstacles in its path. Rocks. Branches. Debris.  These things caused all the noise and turbulence in the river.  In many ways these obstacles make the river more beautiful, more fun, more daring.  In some ways, they change the direction of the flow for a bit, but eventually the river continues to flow in the direction it is intended to flow. Never departing from its natural course.

My life is like that river.  It gets noisy and disturbed when there are obstacles blocking my path.  Sometimes those obstacles make it beautiful, daring, more fun to ride for a while.  Eventually, those obstacles and distractions have to get out of the way so that I can get on with my natural flow and head in the direction I was intended to go.

Recognizing obstacles for what they are, moving around them, continuing to flow and reach my destination is one of the great challenges of life.  Realizing those obstacles are not ME...they are just there to rough up the river for a while and as life goes on, those obstacles change and disappear.  

Don't get stuck in those rough spots...Ride them out and just keep flowing.