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Credit: DH illustration
Water is the life-affirming tonic that flows through our world unabated; mirroring our emotions, adapting to its surroundings and circumstances, and nourishing the power to cleanse and renew. When you try to grasp or stop it, all you feel is a gentle caress. Water will not be stopped and it will not stop you. It will find a way to go around you and then perhaps take you along with it.
Water holds deep symbolism in the human experience, reminding us all that no matter what, all things must flow, and that nothing is permanent except change. When those changes make themselves apparent at unexpected times, water is not dissuaded. It does not resist, it flows, it finds a way. We humans must do the same.
My parents were flying from Delhi to Houston via Doha. Their flight got delayed in India and subsequently they missed the connecting flight to Houston. This was not the plan and for quite a few anxious minutes they resisted this unwarranted turn of events. They felt stranded and a little out of depth. However, the accumulated years of wisdom coaxed them towards the understanding that the best course of action was to go with the flow and see how this new development might unfold. Soon enough, they got their transit visa, good food and accommodation and assurance that they would be on the first available flight to Houston. Letting the moment dictate their plans they even ventured into the city exploring the market. Although this delay was an impediment in their path, it provided them with a new experience and refreshed their understanding that like water, life always promises to find a way to move forward.
The importance of being formless, shapeless, abiding, gentle yet persistent are just some of the lessons underscored by water. It abandons all attempts to control and accepts the ever changing, ever evolving nature of life and things. With this relinquishing of control, peace enters, simply by moving along with things and not against them. As you become water in moments of sudden change and allow things to flow with and through you, you become malleable. The universe then remembers to tenderly bend you, without breaking you.
Flowing water never goes stale, reminding us to keep moving onwards.