“Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward whatever way they like.” ~Lao Tzu
We see in the world what we carry in our hearts. The world reflects what we expect to see. What is your premise? Love or fear? From love we can flow with life; however it shows up. But if we’re locked in the prison of fear, defense becomes our modus operandi. And It hurts. It hurts to always be on the defensive. What if we start with a neutral perspective? Life is innocent. What happens? Life is innocent, we give it all the meaning it has for us. We can elect to love no matter what. It might not be easy. In fact, it might feel impossible at times.
But let me ask you this. Is there anyone or anything in your life you love and will love no matter what? A child, a pet, beautiful sunsets, the ocean, sunshine, the smile from a stranger on a crowded bus… Unconditional love is our primary set point. When nothing we believe is getting in the way, we love… it feels whole and compete just loving for the joy of it. This is how flow feels. Loving for the joy of it. It feels yummy.
We hear go with the Flow and I sound awesome, right? But how do we do it? Life is flow. We get in the way.
I say, go with what feels yummy. It is the path of least resistance. But if you’re over five years old, it takes practice. Our programming gets in the way. The set of right/wrong, good/bad criteria, we’ve assigned to the world, ourselves and everyone in it. The beliefs we adopted as coping mechanism when we were learning the world we came into. These beliefs put limits on our happiness; criteria that has to be met before we let joy flow naturally the way it wants to. Like it does with little kids. Like it does with us when quit letting the past define our present moment. How do we know when this is happening? It feels icky.
Pause and question when what’s happening feels icky. What are my beliefs about this and what do I think it says about ‘me?’ Can I see I am reacting to what’s showing up right now with resistance? Is my resistance because I want something to be different and I am withholding joy or love from myself and the situation because it conflicts with what I think I want instead?
Can I see that this moment, this event, this situation is what life has given me right here and right now? And can I consider that on some level I have already allowed it, or it wouldn’t be happening? Can I say yes to just now? “Yes, this is my moment.”
Check inside. Where inside do I feel the tension of resistance? Breathe into that tension allowing it to be as it is, while inviting it to soften and ease a just a little. And a little more, feeling the breath as love, accepting and allowing. With each breath, think ease and soften and feel the ease happening. It is love easing the tension as it lets go and allows the life force to flow with new possibility.
Trusting the Flow is a mind-set. It’s about letting everything happen, the good, the bad, and the ugly with acceptance and awareness while welcoming in an organic flow of life.
It’s not about resisting or racing ahead but relying on the moment and the magic of life to let you flow with trust.
When we talk about flow, we think of water; moving or running smoothly, our lives are like a movement of water or the continuous moving of scenes, ideas, stories, experiences, etc.”
For me, flow starts with trusting that life is ultimately beneficent. It flows in the direction of well being for everyone and everything. So, whatever happens in my life has to, on some level, be in my best interest, and is flowing toward that. If resistance is there, it is in my belief system. And my heart lets me know.
Living from this yummy knowing in the midst of all kinds of seeming difficulty has strengthened me and made me more resilient in life; inviting me to go with the flow and looking back I see it has always been a gift. Seeing the gift, loving what is, is the miracle. And flowing with life feels like being part of the mystery making it all happen.
I choose to trust in the way of it. I trust in Love and life to lead me through. But it’s not about just sitting back and going with the flow. It is leaning into the moment before me in faith and trust. Trust in life in my capacity to love to be joyful and bring these innate gifts to everyone I meet.
Our world seems to run on fear. It can feel like insane if that’s where I let my attention rest. It’s invisible, yet readily discernible. We are taught to be afraid of anyone and anything different from ourselves.
It requires mindful awareness to not get caught up in the fear whirlpool at times. Like the events of last week. The siege on the Capitol. Scary shit if look at through fear. That fear, unchecked, quickly becomes judgment. That judgement separates us at the good people and them as the bad ones.
Judgement leads to attack and attack to violence. It’s a cycle that takes place on both major and minor levels every day. But we don’t have to be part of it. We can choose love. We can see that fear, in whatever form it shows up in, anger, attack, counterattack… is really a call for love. No one would attack if they were in touch with the love within and the LOVE that gives life, uniting us all together as one.
What if we Love anyway? What if we get in touch with the love within when fear strikes, and deliberately pay it forward?
What we are tuned to depends on the premise from which we are operating within — our mind-set. Is it fear or love? Each beget a completely different world. What if we see from innocence? The innocence in a child’s face, a flower, a pet’s eyes looking up at us. That feeling of unconditional love we feel is ours. We can look through that lens and forgive. What happened even a minute before is no long valid. It is gone.
There is a spaciousness in now, an opening between the known and the unknown for curiosity to lead us. Curiosity was abundant when we were kids. It’s the natural flow of learning and growth. Fear makes us squelch curiosity in favor of the comfort of the known. It becomes its own prison.
We can cultivate curiosity by pausing in looking with fresh eyes, innocent eyes — eyes of love.
Love now. Love anyway. Love because it feels yummy and opens the floodgates of joy! And we flow.
Have a yummy week and a yummy day!
