Post by lqdKaos on Aug 20, 2008 9:47:35 GMT -5
OK, I dont usually get all sentimental and seldom does something I read actually speak to me. But one of my friends wrote this and it said something to me. Both of us are whitewater raft guides, and I have spent some time with her on the river. I had no idea that she writes until this. By the way, this was NOT written about / for / or with me in mind. She is seeing one of my friends and is quite smitten with him.
meditation on love as a river.
learning to love the non-beautiful in people is truly the most noble expedition one can embark upon. if you are patient, and wild, enough to follow someone into ugly, foreign, dangerous places, you will know no fear.
what i have learned thus far:
let love flow as water.
water flows in cycles of great fury and serenity, with equal amounts of navigable currents to balance things out. face the ferocity of whitewater with the same composure you would the peaceful flat water. anyone can love floating the easy stuff, its when you are scared for your life that you might learn something about yourself. accept that all in nature appears in cycles.
let love flow as it will.
stay in the current and you will not find yourself stranded on shore, or in an otherwise tight spot. if you are aware enough to look down river to what is ahead, and to what is beneath you, you will be able to avoid most major obstacles. also, it requires much less (unnecessary) effort to stay in the current than to correct yourself once you've lost it. who wants to paddle more than they have to? such a powerful force as a river, or a great and truthful love, should more than carry us as long as we are receptive to its pathways.
let love flow from patience.
this one is tough. patience with those who are fearful, or those who wish to control others, those who are ruggedly independent of others...this is hard. most of us have some sort of handicap when it comes to interpersonal relationships. but on the river if we did not have patience with our crew, no matter the handicaps, we would effectively get nowhere. sure one person can steer a boat, but can they power it? is it satisfying? are you actually going to stay upright for long? when the going gets tough, you raise your voice a pitch, rally your crew, and pray you will get through. no 'time-outs' in the middle of a rapid. sorry.
all this is new to me, but i feel many answers and explanations for love reside in the cold water of these rivers i have grown to love and respect.
love fiercely, truthfully, and maddeningly- with eyes open until you hit the water. then its take a breath and swim for shore.
but for you, should i be swept away, throw me no ropes...
"to love pleasure takes little effort. to love truly takes a hero who can manage his own fear.
to love means to stay with. it means to emerge from a fantasy world into a world where sustainable love is possible, face to face, bones to bones, a love of devotion. to love means to stay when every cell says 'run!'"
meditation on love as a river.
learning to love the non-beautiful in people is truly the most noble expedition one can embark upon. if you are patient, and wild, enough to follow someone into ugly, foreign, dangerous places, you will know no fear.
what i have learned thus far:
let love flow as water.
water flows in cycles of great fury and serenity, with equal amounts of navigable currents to balance things out. face the ferocity of whitewater with the same composure you would the peaceful flat water. anyone can love floating the easy stuff, its when you are scared for your life that you might learn something about yourself. accept that all in nature appears in cycles.
let love flow as it will.
stay in the current and you will not find yourself stranded on shore, or in an otherwise tight spot. if you are aware enough to look down river to what is ahead, and to what is beneath you, you will be able to avoid most major obstacles. also, it requires much less (unnecessary) effort to stay in the current than to correct yourself once you've lost it. who wants to paddle more than they have to? such a powerful force as a river, or a great and truthful love, should more than carry us as long as we are receptive to its pathways.
let love flow from patience.
this one is tough. patience with those who are fearful, or those who wish to control others, those who are ruggedly independent of others...this is hard. most of us have some sort of handicap when it comes to interpersonal relationships. but on the river if we did not have patience with our crew, no matter the handicaps, we would effectively get nowhere. sure one person can steer a boat, but can they power it? is it satisfying? are you actually going to stay upright for long? when the going gets tough, you raise your voice a pitch, rally your crew, and pray you will get through. no 'time-outs' in the middle of a rapid. sorry.
all this is new to me, but i feel many answers and explanations for love reside in the cold water of these rivers i have grown to love and respect.
love fiercely, truthfully, and maddeningly- with eyes open until you hit the water. then its take a breath and swim for shore.
but for you, should i be swept away, throw me no ropes...
"to love pleasure takes little effort. to love truly takes a hero who can manage his own fear.
to love means to stay with. it means to emerge from a fantasy world into a world where sustainable love is possible, face to face, bones to bones, a love of devotion. to love means to stay when every cell says 'run!'"