Water Power
“Water
does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all
you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it does not stop
you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the
end can stand against it...”
Margaret
Atwood (The Penelopiad)
I'm at the lake. This
morning, as the sun climbs above the horizon, I see that this
will be a beautiful, sunny spring day. The lake is calm, trees in half-leaf, birds busily make nests and fuss to see who will find a
mate. Martins skim the surface of the water for breakfast. Two houses
down the beach, Canadian geese honk at a pair of Labrador retrievers
who are madly swimming after them. In short, this is a beautiful
place to be. I take in the scene, and know in every cell how very
fortunate I am to be sitting on this sunny peninsula, surrounded by
water, gazing at such an idyllic scene.
When I am at lake's edge,
the tug is strong to enter. The dogs cannot resist, even though the
water is still cold. Some ancient part of me recognizes a primal
home. Now our bodies carry the water that spawned life. More than
half our body weight, depending on age and gender, is water—infants,
75-78%; average adults, 50-65%. We are more water than skin and bones.
Since we are made of it,
we would do well to recognize some of the properties of water—how
it does not resist, how it allows. It can be contained by great
effort, but when it escapes, nothing can stop it. Water goes where it
wants to go; it patiently wears away whatever is in its path. If it
cannot go through an obstacle, it goes around. Water carved the Grand
Canyon, created the ancient formations in Utah, and once upon a time,
the Appalachian Mountains were sea floor. Water is one of the most
powerful natural forces on Planet Earth. And you...well...you are
filled with it. I hope you feel your power today.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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