Sometimes Life is Like a River

 

“Wild rivers are earth’s renegades, defying gravity, dancing to their own tunes, resisting the authority of humans, always chipping away and eventually always winning.”- Richard Bands.

During my road trip to Montana, I was able to go on a white water rafting adventure on Still Water River, a tributary of the Yellowstone River.  Still Water is an interesting name, since it was rarely still.  Instead, the rock-bottomed river offered a swift current and rapid white water with frequent drops. 

I find that life can be very similar to white water rafting.  If you think about it, our goal on a rafting adventure is to navigate the river in order to get to a destination.  Can’t the same be said of life? 

During the trek down the river, we encountered unknown obstacles and challenges that we had to navigate to successfully make it to our final destination without capsizing.  Same can be said about life.

There is thrill and fear that gets your adrenaline pumping when your raft encounters turbulent water.  And glee and cheers when your team successfully paddles through the strong current.  Life too can be thrilling and scary when we try something new, try something outside our comfort zone or try something we could fail at.   But, it is also full of growth and wisdom when we make it successfully through a challenge in life.

The direction of a river can change at times because of it being blocked by obstacles.   But, the river will always seek another path, bypassing the obstacles with patience and persistence.  The river always wins because it has a clear purpose—although not always a clear path. 

This is where we humans sometimes falter.  Without a clear purpose, there is no destination.   You must have purpose and direction in your life or you are just like a raft rowing while stuck on a rock.  You will go nowhere.  Instead, if you know what your purpose is and where you want to end up, you will be better equipped to navigate and clear any obstacles or challenges in your path in order to reach your destination.   

As we go through this mysterious journey of life, there are many unknowns.  We can’t always anticipate what obstacles or challenges that may come our way.  Unlike the river—we won’t always win.  There will be times when the path to take isn’t clear.  There will be times we capsize.  We can get back on the raft and start rowing until we find the right path or we can stop, give in to defeat and tread in still waters. 

I want to live my life like wild water—clearing my own path while chipping away at self-doubt in order to reach my highest potential. 

Life is hard.  But in the end—what a wild ride!

Le'ts embrace Mondays, and everyday, with excitement.  We will do it together, each Monday-- for a moment.