Through Me, Not By Me

Every day I go on this walk. And every time I start the walk, I say these words out loud: I am inviting life to flow through this body—unrestricted, unlimited, unattached, uninhibited, without pushing and without holding back. One thing I'm learning about life is that it's always moving. Nothing that is alive isn't moving. And sometimes this is really frustrating. Like when I can't get my kids to sit still. Or my plans not to change. Or for people to act the way I expect. But if it's alive, it's moving. Whether I like it or not. Another thing I'm finding is that I can become really afraid of all this movement. And there's a part of me that just wants to slow it all down. To hold it in place. To manage it. But I'm finding that managing life is about as effective as standing in the ocean and trying to manage the waves. They just go right by me. No matter how much effort I give it. And at the end of a bout between me and the waves—between me and the movement of life—it always ends the…