Just Flow

Lately, I’ve been trying to focus on loving the people. Patience with my kids. Holding a lingering hug with my mom. Sharing a kind word with the worn-down parent of a sticky kid at Target. Taking a moment to chat with the man who sells papers outside the local co-op grocery. Making real eye contact with the cashier when she greets me at the checkout line, asking her how her day is going. And meaning it. 

Loving the people.

I find that when my focus shifts from myself to others, it takes me out of the seat of control. I’m no longer trying to orchestrate things that are beyond my fingertips. The things I think I want, those desires are often outdated, based on who I was yesterday and every day leading up to yesterday. They’re shaped by past experiences, not future possibilities. But life is taking me somewhere new. Somewhere I haven’t been, maybe somewhere I haven’t even imagined.

And when I embrace that truth, when I choose to ride the river instead of trying to steer it, I can feel the deeper current moving beneath me. There’s a force at work that’s greater than my divorce, stronger than my friend’s diagnosis, and more enduring than the daily challenges of raising four daughters on my own.

When I acknowledge that force, some call it God, the universe, or something else entirely, and trust that it’s in control, then I can open up. Then I can truly flow.

This journey I’m on, it might not be what I thought I wanted… but just maybe it’s better. Or maybe it’s just better for me. I’m learning to let go of resistance, because the discomfort I feel is often born simply from resisting what is.

Yes, I still need to be responsible, intentional, thoughtful in my actions. But am I ever really in control? Or am I being invited into a dialogue with something deeper?

Can I listen with an open heart? Can I surrender just enough to flow?

Challenge accepted. Xo