From the Editor's Computer
As you go
about your daily life and interactions, are you like water?
Water flows along, taking the path
of least resistance, finding the easiest route to get to where it wants to
go. It exerts little effort, it just
flows as it is naturally inclined to do. Water is not impeded by
obstacles in its path. While it may appear to be momentarily stuck, or
blocked, ultimately, it flows around anything in its path.
While water is very soft and
gentle, it is very strong. Through persistence, it wears away at the most
unyielding materials in its path.
Water conforms to its
surroundings, yet at the same time, it creates its own form. It stays
within boundaries, however, it is not rigidly confined to those boundaries if
conditions change.
Water, especially flowing water,
is vibrantly alive. Debris can build up in water, yet if the water
continues to flow, it isn't long before the debris is left by the
wayside. It is searching, extending, always moving forward, constantly
changing.
Yet, water never loses its
essence. No matter what happens, or where it flows, water is still
ultimately water.
Or are you like a boulder in a
stream bed?
A boulder is stationary, never
moving, stuck. It tends to act more like a hindrance than a benefit to
those in its path.
Also a boulder is subject to
everything that comes its way. It is constantly battered and attacked by
the debris and the environmental forces around it.
Its rigidity is its
downfall. It neither grows nor expands into new territory.
The changes it does experience are forced on it from external sources.
A boulder gets left behind as life
teems around it. Unable to move or defend itself, the boulder keeps
getting more and more worn down, until it is a mere a reflection of its former
self. It loses its essence as more and
more pieces of it are worn away.
Are you flowing forward?
Or are you stuck in the mud?
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NG2cK9TAtQr-UA67KsCedA5bp9HRl2nJ/view?usp=sharing
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