Going with the Flow in 5 Steps
Quote de jour
“May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children.”
~Rainer M.Rilke
So, I'm driving on a quiet side road and see a flash of water in the corner of my eye. In a split second, I make the decision to stop and pull over, knowing any delay will make me late. The water, it turns out is a river. The unexpected sight of flowing water in the crisp winter air, invigorates. My breath deepens. I do nothing but stand at the edge and watch the water.
A cool stillness fills me, rooting me in place. It's no wonder we have endless metaphors about flow and the river of life. Go with the flow they say, but what does that really mean? To me, it's about doing or not doing something and time stops. In that X amount of time of enjoying something, we are simply flowing. It could be the passive act of observing or a physical activity. In my case, it involved taking photographs but it could be anything you love enough to do and not want to stop. It could playtime with your kids, watching a sunset, writing a novel, baking cookies, playing golf or a guitar. It doesn't matter what it is. You know if you're going with the flow because:
1) time stops
2) it feels good
3) there is focus
4) it's easy
5) your sense of self disappears
You can't will it or follow these five steps to achieve, it just happens.
After a brief time of observing and I notice something moving in the distance. Five male mallards and their female partners bob up and down, oblivious to time. Time stops and shockingly, I arrive on time.
“May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children.”
~Rainer M.Rilke
So, I'm driving on a quiet side road and see a flash of water in the corner of my eye. In a split second, I make the decision to stop and pull over, knowing any delay will make me late. The water, it turns out is a river. The unexpected sight of flowing water in the crisp winter air, invigorates. My breath deepens. I do nothing but stand at the edge and watch the water.
A cool stillness fills me, rooting me in place. It's no wonder we have endless metaphors about flow and the river of life. Go with the flow they say, but what does that really mean? To me, it's about doing or not doing something and time stops. In that X amount of time of enjoying something, we are simply flowing. It could be the passive act of observing or a physical activity. In my case, it involved taking photographs but it could be anything you love enough to do and not want to stop. It could playtime with your kids, watching a sunset, writing a novel, baking cookies, playing golf or a guitar. It doesn't matter what it is. You know if you're going with the flow because:
1) time stops
2) it feels good
3) there is focus
4) it's easy
5) your sense of self disappears
You can't will it or follow these five steps to achieve, it just happens.
After a brief time of observing and I notice something moving in the distance. Five male mallards and their female partners bob up and down, oblivious to time. Time stops and shockingly, I arrive on time.
Posted by Layla Morgan Wilde at 2/20/2012 12:00 AM 
Categories: Nature, Baby Boomers, Westchester County, Photography, Art, Spirituality
Tags: the state of flow quote-rilke-river river-phot0-quote-westchester county-ny going with the flow-spiritual going with the flow in 5 steps time stops
Categories: Nature, Baby Boomers, Westchester County, Photography, Art, Spirituality
Tags: the state of flow quote-rilke-river river-phot0-quote-westchester county-ny going with the flow-spiritual going with the flow in 5 steps time stops
Beautiful post - love the five steps. And I'd like to add: when you are in that flow, magic happens.
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I so needed this today. Thank-you!
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What a beautiful post, Layla! Your words blending with Rilke's to form a perfect image of joyful living and peace.
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Your images bring your insights to a new level.
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Thanks everyone for your comments. May the flow be with you!
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