“Those who flow as life flows know they need no other force.”

– Lao Tzu

 

 

Life is full of ups and downs.  We know this of course but that knowing doesn’t always mean we are good at dealing with it.

 

None of us escape our share of setbacks, challenges and hurdles.  Not to mention heartache and loss.

 

How do we learn to accept this?  How do we learn to be kind to ourselves when we need to most?  How do we also learn to challenge ourselves to do better? How can we adapt our mindset to serve us best, when life hits us hard?

 

Bamboo Gives

My wife and I have been fortunate enough to visit the Sagano Bamboo Forest in Kyoto, Japan.  The forest is stunning, both visually and audibly.  The bamboo trees tower over visitors, bending and giving with the breeze and clattering into each other, creating a kind of bamboo song.

 

It’s a beautiful sensory experience.  Impossible to do justice with words alone.

 

While the bamboo gives, it is also incredibly strong.

 

This is a state of being that many of the great thinkers and philosophers have challenged us to replicate in ourselves.  A mindset shift.  The ability to be soft and nurturing when we need to, but also strong and resilient at times.  Knowing when to hold ground.

 

Manifesting a state that will serve us, for the environment we are in.

 

Learning to accept there will be ups and downs.

 

Knowing there will be times to stand firm but also times to give ground.

 

Understanding that there is give and take.

 

Learning to flow with life.

 

While this state can feel elusive, we can try our best to adapt.

 

Sometimes this means challenging existing thought patterns.  Sometimes it means leaning on past experiences, to get us through a difficult moment.  Other times, it means trying to approach life with a beginner’s mindset.

 

We can all do our best to try to flow, as life will surely flow.

 

 

 

 

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