I have been thinking about what to give to the world for a few days now. I know that words are all I have to give at the moment, but my words have been swallowed whole, recently, by my own challenges. Today I woke up with the need to inject some love into my community, into myself, and into the days ahead, as they loom above us. Through writing, I know that I can achieve this and through you reading it, I hope that it is felt.
Nothing is the same. Things are changing in every moment, just as they always are. However now, at this moment, those changes are weighing down on us quite heavily. As individuals and as a collective whole of humankind.
Life is like a stream of water flowing continuously. You are floating with the current. As each moment comes and goes you are in a new place, touching new droplets of water, laying your eyes on new terrain beside the riverbank. The current is gentle and soothing and there are people you love floating beside you. The current is always sending you forward and there isn't ever a true moment of being still. To find stillness, you must find it within yourself, as you float softly and lovingly downstream.
Somewhere in time, the current began to speed up. The waters became less gentle and the path in front of you called upon you for more thorough navigation. The land beside you began passing by faster and faster, almost unnoticed. Loved ones began floating at different speeds and in different directions, all though you are all still moving onward. You have always been moving, you have always been drifting. Each moment has always been flowing into the next one.
That is where we are at right now. Each moment, continuing to flow into the next one. The waves are becoming tumultuous. Riotous. Destabilizing. Throwing you around without warning. It is unclear at this time what the near future holds. It is hard to see what we are floating towards when we are so busy trying to stay afloat. I can tell you this, though. If you link up with those around you (six feet apart, of course) you have a better chance at forming a structure that can withstand the most chaotic of waters. When it comes to drifting quickly into the unknown and losing all sight of familiar land, plunging onward, into the water, is what keeps you sane. Having a community is what keeps you afloat.
As I plunge into this scary, strange, frigid water that was not part of my plan, I am reminded of the community around me that helps keep me afloat. I am reminded that everyone else is also slowly diving into the water around me. I am reminded that I know how to swim. That I know how to float. That I know how to call out for help when I need it. I am reminded that everything I have been through, everything I have learned, and everything I have experienced up until this very moment, has been in preparation for this. It has all built me up to be the adventurous, courageous, brave, strong, determined, fighter that I am. Although at times I do not feel these parts of me, I know that they exist because I have proof. I have cracks in my heart, bruises on my body, and stains on my soul that remind me of the mountains I have climbed. They remind me of my ever-surprising will to live and to love, with all I have.
I am a complete composite of every single moment in my life. So are you. Everything you have weathered and triumphed, everything you have discovered and lost. It. All. Matters. It makes you the exact version of yourself that you are here, right now, in this very moment. To all of my friends and all who have read this far, you are alive. You are ready for this. You are ready for whatever lies ahead in this river of life, even if you cannot see how it will turn out. You are capable and strong. You are loved and supported. You are brave and you are a part of this world. A part of a community. Whether you are surrounded or alone, you are a part of the whole that is this world and humankind. We were all floating together before, and now we are all swimming together. Support your neighbors. Check on your loved ones. Don't go through this alone. You don't have to and you shouldn't. Together, we can and will rise from this. But first, we must plunge, hand in hand, into the unknown.
We are all boats in the same stormy sea and because of this, we owe each other a terrible loyalty.
No comments:
Post a Comment