Rivers

Frequently, I travel by airplane and I enjoy looking out the window at the Earth below as we fly. The subdivisions are laid out exactly as they look on paper. Most farmland is plotted out in a patchwork of squares whose colors are differentiated by the crops which are planted there. Trees are clustered together and look somewhat like heads of broccoli from above. In summer, swimming pools look like round and rectangular pieces of blue confetti sprinkled between the roofs. Beautiful.

Looking down at a river is beautiful, too, but there are also life lessons for me to learn by watching rivers. From above, rivers appear to wander aimlessly for miles and miles. I know from grade school science class that rivers flow to the sea. Sometimes two or more rivers join together to make a larger one. They can also split to flow around both sides of a parcel of ground, to create an island, then come together again in the journey onward.

Most rivers seem to be about twice as long as they need to be. They wander about, turning back on themselves, making "S" curves, pausing to become broader before finally going on their merry way. I looked at them for a long time, knowing there was something I was supposed to see but was missing. The beauty was obvious. Trees grow all along the river banks enhancing the trail of the river and looking like a fuzzy ribbon draped over the countryside.

Rivers mean water and water means life. That was plain to see by the foliage and cities that grew close to them but a vague sense of disquiet within me told me that wasn't all there was to learn. So I continued to study them whenever I was in a plane and one day I got it. Water takes the path of least resistance! That is why rivers are so long. They tend to avoid all the obstacles in their way, sometimes backtracking for miles before making any real progress towards their destination.

Applying this concept to human beings: The meandering path is beautiful, but beauty isn't everything. Look how much more time and effort it takes to make the journey when I follow the path of least resistance. My perception of avoiding difficulty only makes it seem easier, which doesn't mean it is easier.

One of the most interesting things I've learned from looking at rivers reminds me of something I've been taught in the recovery program ETA. There is a saying, "We thought we could find an easier, softer way...". I understand this much more clearly because of seeing rivers from the sky.

Have a good and sober day.