Stream of Consciousness

Yesterday I sat at a riverbank, content to watch the water slide by.  A crane waded in the middle near a tiny atoll, taking patient stabs at elusive fish with its bill.  Four Canada geese endeavored to cross and, as I wondered why they didn’t just fly over, I swore the largest (mother?  father?) led this spring’s fledglings in an effort to teach them how to navigate the current.

After that bucolic consideration, I realized how the word current is spelled and pronounced the same whether we’re talking about the movement of air and water or referring to our present, as in a “current situation”.  The cause is likely coincidental, especially given the many English words originated from Latin or more modern languages.  The two meanings probably have very different derivations.  Still, I like the implication.  Life, however stagnant our place in it might feel, is fluid, able to change course around whatever obstacles emerge (my fervent wish for those in troubled times).

There may be nothing the least bit original about comparing existence to water, but that doesn’t stop me from gaining a sense of peace and hope.  Quite the contrary, since some very bright thinkers make such comparisons.  My humble thoughts at least have lofty forebears.

I must confess to a boring tendency of going with the flow, taking the smoothest path that has floated me to the safe tedium that is my current existence.  Breath remains in this body, though, blessed strength retained in these limbs, and I have not yet lost my wits or imagination.  So it’s not too late to break free and head upstream.

Or if I must cling to safety for fear of dangerous change, there are always tributaries off the main channel.  There’s nothing wrong with a side trip from the norm.  Regardless, I must never neglect gratitude for successfully navigating the inevitable rough waters and pray good fortune continues, wherever the future heads.

Whether you are sailing or paddling, I hope you are not floundering – certainly not without someone to help you bail.

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