While kayaking Sunday morning with a friend, we noticed something really strange that went against what we had been taught, "to go with the flow".
When we were going with the waves, we had a terrible time steering the kayak, we kept getting turned in a direction we didn't want to go in.
We had to be very vigilant to keep us heading correctly, and we felt out of control.
Yet, when we headed into the waves, we could keep our kayaks heading straight.
We were both amazed at how it contradicted the sentiments of "going with the flow".
A thought came to me this morning, that when we tried to steer our boat as we flowed, it didn't work. However, if we gave up and went with the flow....we flowed where it took us, but not where we wanted to go.
If you look at this as a metaphor for life, you can see the similarities.
Often the easy route is to let the flow take you.
You may go easily where it leads but you yourself are not in control; you are at the mercy of its waves.
Going against the easy flow way, you will have control and set your destination...it is harder but you will go where you want.
What happened when we were in the flow....and out of control, we lost our concentration and the meditation of our rhythm...for we were bumping into each other and drifting oddly.
However, when we both were in control and heading into the path of most resistance, we were steady. Our conversation and paddling were not disrupted by the odd twists and turns.
In the controlled paddle, we could forget the undercurrents and be with ourselves.
I know this echoes in real life.
The false sense of ease, keeps you out of control with your own goal or destination; you are at the mercy of others. You don't have to do anything, but you don't control anything either. You just bobble around on life's surface.
I love how nature teaches us about our own nature.
This living experience and the feelings I had while going with the waves or against will stay with me.
To be in control, you have to go against the flow.
