If you are an Aussie Football fan, you would have thought here’s a Swans supporter speaking up! Sorry to disappoint you - I used to be a Carlton fan many years ago but now only support Aussie Rules from afar. Go Swans! because this week I had the pleasure of watching swans and pelicans on the water where I go for my regular walks. I am always fascinated when I see them on the water. On these occasions though, what got me thinking was how elegant they look always. Have you ever noticed that? When I saw them this time, the weather was very stormy and (yes, I braved it!) the water was rather choppy with winds blowing at high knots.
I sat and watched the pelicans in this picture for several minutes. What amazed me was that despite the choppy water and the wind, they appeared calm and drifted in whichever direction the wind and water took them. Plus they stuck together for a while at least. As I do at such times, I pondered over this.They appeared calm but I wondered what their little feet were doing just under the surface of the waves. At times they drifted with the flow of the water (mostly) but at times they actually managed to swim against the stream - upstream - and still all the while maintained absolute stunning composure! Were they madly paddling to swim against the flow of the tide? Can you imagine that?
Are the composure and mad paddling comparable to human life(style)? That might just be. There were times when I was and am struggling with various things in life. When I was going through a rough time in my relationship, I was paddling like mad to keep my head above water, to feel ok and carry on regardless of what I was going through. Hardly anyone would have guessed that I was going through so much adversity because I held an elegant pose to the outside world - I did not want anyone to know. When I stopped paddling like mad and embraced the turbulence, I drifted with the flow and it eventually led me to step out of that situation and take a new direction in my life.
Sometimes when we go through turbulence in our lives we must find ways to get over it. We must decide how we do it - and it is absolutely ok and almost essential to do a bit of both. If you decide to swim upstream (against the flow of events), facing adversity head on, that can have an advantage and disadvantage. If you have a certain goal to reach, you might face some adversity along the way. When you face your fears, you will eventually get through that and see that it is not so bad after all. Going through all the misery and all the ‘getting out of your comfort zone’ gets you to the mastery point of attaining your goal. During that period it is also essential to stop a bit, pull back a bit and just drift - stop paddling like crazy. Embrace your fear and your misery - examine it, acknowledge it, thank it. Drift in the direction life takes you to see where you should be heading. Sometimes to get to your goal you might have to take a slight diversion - perhaps not the road you thought would be the most appropriate one. I believe that our journeys are cut out for us already - and we need to go through some STUFF to learn and experience things. It doesn’t always happen on the direct path and may be strewn with a couple of thorns along the way.
So, the Animal Kingdom - the swans and the pelicans - can teach us a thing or two, can’t they. Swim upstream when you believe in something (they wanted to get to the pier) and do what you have to to get there. Or go with the flow when you need to let go and embrace your position in life. It will lead you to where you should really be heading (if the pier wasn’t the right destination at that point in time, the pelicans would have landed at another point but still would have reached land).
What experiences have you had with swimming upstream or just going with the flow. Would love to hear about them! Comment below to let me know what you think about it.
Much Love,
Ruth
I sat and watched the pelicans in this picture for several minutes. What amazed me was that despite the choppy water and the wind, they appeared calm and drifted in whichever direction the wind and water took them. Plus they stuck together for a while at least. As I do at such times, I pondered over this.They appeared calm but I wondered what their little feet were doing just under the surface of the waves. At times they drifted with the flow of the water (mostly) but at times they actually managed to swim against the stream - upstream - and still all the while maintained absolute stunning composure! Were they madly paddling to swim against the flow of the tide? Can you imagine that?
Are the composure and mad paddling comparable to human life(style)? That might just be. There were times when I was and am struggling with various things in life. When I was going through a rough time in my relationship, I was paddling like mad to keep my head above water, to feel ok and carry on regardless of what I was going through. Hardly anyone would have guessed that I was going through so much adversity because I held an elegant pose to the outside world - I did not want anyone to know. When I stopped paddling like mad and embraced the turbulence, I drifted with the flow and it eventually led me to step out of that situation and take a new direction in my life.
Sometimes when we go through turbulence in our lives we must find ways to get over it. We must decide how we do it - and it is absolutely ok and almost essential to do a bit of both. If you decide to swim upstream (against the flow of events), facing adversity head on, that can have an advantage and disadvantage. If you have a certain goal to reach, you might face some adversity along the way. When you face your fears, you will eventually get through that and see that it is not so bad after all. Going through all the misery and all the ‘getting out of your comfort zone’ gets you to the mastery point of attaining your goal. During that period it is also essential to stop a bit, pull back a bit and just drift - stop paddling like crazy. Embrace your fear and your misery - examine it, acknowledge it, thank it. Drift in the direction life takes you to see where you should be heading. Sometimes to get to your goal you might have to take a slight diversion - perhaps not the road you thought would be the most appropriate one. I believe that our journeys are cut out for us already - and we need to go through some STUFF to learn and experience things. It doesn’t always happen on the direct path and may be strewn with a couple of thorns along the way.
So, the Animal Kingdom - the swans and the pelicans - can teach us a thing or two, can’t they. Swim upstream when you believe in something (they wanted to get to the pier) and do what you have to to get there. Or go with the flow when you need to let go and embrace your position in life. It will lead you to where you should really be heading (if the pier wasn’t the right destination at that point in time, the pelicans would have landed at another point but still would have reached land).
What experiences have you had with swimming upstream or just going with the flow. Would love to hear about them! Comment below to let me know what you think about it.
Much Love,
Ruth
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