The Leaf

Have you ever felt as though you're a leaf floating along a stream? I suppose you could say that it takes the phrase, "Go with the flow" to help describe it.

A leaf falls into the water from the tree next to the stream. Although fall is really not the most accurate word. Semi-floating free descent (SFD) sums it up better, in my opinion. Once it hits the stream, it makes a slight ripple, and dips in ever so gently. Then, it's picked up by the current of the stream and off it goes. Which brings me back to my question. Have you ever felt like that leaf? I'm guessing that you're shaking your head yes right about now.

Now, here's a sub-thought. Why is it that sometimes going with the flow is a good thing, but other times it's bad. If the leaf had never taken the SFD from the tree, or if it had landed and stayed put, it would still only be aware of it's immediate surroundings. Once it lands in the stream, it's on a journey. So in the good way, going with the flow is being on a journey. It's kind of like going on a vacation that someone else planned. While you might not always go where you want to go, you do end up seeing things you wouldn't have thought to go see if you were calling the shots.

In the bad way, though, you might end up in choppy waters. You might get constantly sucked under water and spit back up to the surface, just praying for calm waters ahead. You can't see ahead, though, and you're busy just trying not to feel like you're drowning.

We are always going to run into choppy waters. It's a fact of life. So how do we make it easier to survive? To endure?

I tell you what, it's scary to see how weirdly my mind works at 1am. The odd thoughts that pop into my head are a tad bit unnerving, even to me. I do know one thing- when I type on this blog late at night, I get so sleepy. Sleepier than I've felt in a long time.

And I like that...