ARTICLE: Understanding the Ebb and Flow of Life

Each time we are faced with gain or loss in our life it’s going to shake us up.

I want to go deeper and explore this pattern a little bit more so we can start to equally embrace the times when we are in a period of renewal and the times when we are experiencing a falling away of the familiar landscapes that make up our lives.

The Seasons

To begin to explore a topic like this, it’s helpful to look to nature to see how this pattern is already naturally occurring.  Nature so easily provides a roadmap for us if we only take the time to allow our self to be guided by her gentle, yet powerful, prompts.

The seasons demonstrate the occurrence of regeneration and decay. Nature allows for the welcoming and release of each season without favoritism or holding. It’s almost humorous to think of Mother Nature favoring one season over another yet, that’s exactly what we do.  We favor one circumstance over another insisting that we know what’s best for our highest good. 

We could flow in harmony with life a lot more if we could learn to trust that the same pattern of renewal and decay.

The Breath

Let’s look at one more example within our self, the breath. 

Without any effort of our own, the breath comes into our body and, without holding, flows out. It’s so easy to look at this example and see how vital both the taking in and letting go pattern is.

Still, once again, when we apply this to our everyday life we can easily get hung up accepting new things into our life or letting go with grace. There may be one side of this coin you favor more so it is important to take a look at examples in your own life to see where you are more comfortable. 

Are you the type of person who is comfortable when new things flow in like a new job, money or a relationship? Or are you someone who feels uncomfortable or avoids when something new comes into your life making you to open up and grow? Instead, do you stay stuck in old patterns to avoid that new growth coming in? On the other side you may be comfortable letting go of the things no longer serve you easier like moving to a new place or when a relationship doesn’t seem to fit in love or career.

What’s important is starting to see that renewal and decay will happen in everything you encounter in one way or another. Even if it isn’t a full loss you will still see this pattern transform the new to old and back again.

Love

We can take the example of a love relationship.

When that love is new it’s exciting and fresh. After a time, it either has to transform to different depths to support the growth of each person or it ends but either way it goes through the pattern of renewal and decay and transforms. 

If you can see this pattern then you can start to relax and fully open up to each experience in a fuller way knowing that each is only a temporary gift in that beautiful moment in time.

Open your heart to let new experiences in, transform and equally honor each as it flows back away from you like the waves in the sea. You will be left better in some way by each moment of your life as you feel and practice leaning into the ebb and flow of your life.

This article was originally published on Greater Impact Writing on June 28, 2019.