Time Is Like A River- Enjoy The Ride
“Time is like a river made up of the events which happen, and a violent stream; for as soon as a thing has been seen, it is carried away, and another comes in its place, and this will be carried away too.”
― Marcus Aurelius (Emperor of Rome), Meditations written in 167 A.C.E.
Our life starts with birth. I think most mothers would agree that is a turbulent, but incredibly beautiful time. As painful, and scary as it can be we also want to hold on to it. Looking from a baby’s perspective I’d say it’s at least very scary. Everything is new. That is the point at which we jump into the turbulent river of life.
As a mother I find it interesting to write this piece after spending almost two decades observing and guiding three young ladies grow from birth to adolescence, and one into adulthood. As an extra bit of correlation, we moved to a home bordered by a stream when they were all fairly small children. We have enjoyed witnessing this stream through each of the seasons we have lived here through.
Babyhood- a Turbulent, Yet Mostly Pleasant Adventure for parents and baby
Babyhood is a time of intense growth, and “helplessness.” Babies stream of time is almost, if not completely controlled by outside forces until toddlerhood is thrust upon us. By “us” I mean both the child, and adults responsible for their safety. Toddlerhood is all about realizing you can influence your own life! That is scary as well as liberating. As the adult responsible we have developed the ability to anticipate problems the toddler doesn’t see. We also sometimes just want to get through the day, and have other needs that need to be met. The young child gets to embrace the river of time in it’s purest way, without any preformed agenda, or idea of where they “should” be going. Tackling life as it happens.
Childhood- Learning to Paddle For Yourself with Some Guidance
As we get beyond childhood we form ideas of what we might want to do longer term. Living with a purpose is a wonderful thing, but we sometimes forget to make the best of the moment we are in even when that moment is difficult. Many of us start focusing a bit too much on either attaining goals of the future, or mistakes of the past. Sometimes even the good moments of the past. We lose that sense of making the most of the day to day, moment to moment. Sometimes missing the moment we should have changed course because we can’t go backwards through this river, and it doesn’t stop.
Adulthood- A Time of More Control Over Destinations, but We Often Forget Either to Enjoy the Ride, or Change Course When you Need to.
Sometimes it’s best for us to stop to smell the roses and enjoy where we are. Let the current pull us gently along if you will. If you have a direction you want to reach paddle in that direction. If you want more adventure, that’s an attainable goal, but struggling against the stream only adds turbulence. We will still be pushed forward, don’t get dragged under, enjoy the ride.
If you enjoyed this post and would like another inspiring moment to relax check out this post! A peaceful moment with dolphins at the beach!
Anne Bengaff
On the surface I'm a 41 year old wife, and mom to 3 teenage girls. More than that though I am an accumulation of my adventures, and the skills I've gained. As a young woman I became an aviation maintenance technician through a school in S.C. I also lost my mother before I was 5. While my girls were growing up and becoming at least a bit more independent I graduated from the local community college with an associates degree in liberal studies. I've recently been reminded how important it is to continue learning, and following your own pursuits even while busy taking care of every one else.
