CURRENTS OF LIFE by Rutu Palav

CURRENTS OF LIFE

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Be like a river. Be open. Flow.â&#x20AC;? -

Julie Connor

Life flows like a river Your life begins small, something like the drops of rain which become small streams and eventually great rivers which flow into the ocean. Like these streams and rivers, we encounter obstacles and challenges. The streams and rivers overcome these obstacles by wearing them down or finding a path around or through them. At times there are massive floods, huge waterfalls, and raging rapids. Then there are the periods of smooth and peaceful flow. The thing to note is that the flow never stops. It continues until the ocean is reached.

The river never passes the same point twice and is only at that point for the precise moment it is there. It flows immediately to the next point in its journey. It does not normally back track. Those few times it does, it becomes stagnant and brackish. The river does not struggle and strain, it simply flows on until it reaches its destination.

The river will at times change direction because of obstacles encountered, but will continue the journey to its goal. When one path is blocked it seeks another path. The river is patient, for it knows it will eventually reach its destination. It is also consistent and persistent. There are many parallels between the river and our lives. As babies and children many small items of input form our outlook on life and influence the way our lives flow. Meager input equals meager flow, whereas greater input gives our lives greater flow.

“A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself.” –Laura Gilpin

RIVER AND I

I move with the river, it moves with me We move in synchronicity My thoughts flow with currents Push my feelings around the bends It heals my wounds, the hurts it mends It washes away worries and doubts In motion it turns it all inside out As peace consumes me all about No hurdles,no rocks are in the way I move by and beyond them everyday Taking in everything passing by

“The care of rivers is not a question of rivers but of the human heart.”– Shozo Tanaka

The riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey Rivers are powerful and rich forces of nature that surge with a purpose toward their ultimate destination, usually a larger body of water. The course of the river is called its path, and along the path are a myriad of changes that shift its course: calm pools of water, swampy marshes, shallow and rocky streams; rough rapids and waterfalls. all cascade the river as it searches for that final destination. All the par ticles and inhabitants of the river understand its flow and current, travelling with the tides as the obstacles and disruptions enter the river path.

“Love is a meeting of two souls, fully accepting the dark and the light within each other, bound by the courage to grow through struggle into bliss.”– Aphorism

SHOULDER TO BANK Climbed every crevice, overflowed every ditch The answer has to be here somewhere It created its own path It screamed in tempest Raged on in storms The lone river in flux The lone river overflowed It greeted the sky at its moment of rebirth Looked on and sighed The lone river let go

LONE RIVER Only the lonely the lone river sighs Seeking the answer that lies in its path Searching, its currents pounded each rock Overturned every pebble Eroded every cliff The lone river stood still The lone river crashed on

Life, like a river flows Human life can be linked to a flowing river, as river is a unique phenomenon of nature. In every river, fresh flowing water is being added to the existing water every moment. This everyday phenomenon is responsible for the freshness of the river water. In the absence of this continuous flow of newly added water, the river will lose its freshness.

The same method is adopted by the nature with regards to human beings. As we know, human beings continue to be born, generation after generation. Within a period of hundred years, the previous generation is replaced by a fresh set of people. If the old water is replaced by fresh water, in human beings this same occurrence takes place in the form of pervious generation yielding place to new generations.

“The river moves, but it follows a path. When it tires of one journey, it rubs through some rock to forge a new way. Hard work, but that’s its nature.” –Kekla Magoon

RUSHING RIVER Go with the flow But got caught in a river Tried to go slow, But you make me shiver Couldn’t say no, The current is quick Suddenly in love, & couldn’t help it.

“A dream is like a river ever changing as it flows and a dreamer’s just a vessel that must follow where it goes.” –Garth Brooks

Acknowledgements I would want to thank my mentor Prof. Barbara Hughes, for all the critique and guidance that I received. I also got a useful feedback from Stephen Abney, regarding the body text and all my classmates for their feedback. The writeups and the poems of the magazine have been beautifully composed by the people listed below. ‘River and I’ by Heidi Sands ‘Shoulder to Bank’ by Poly Wander ‘Lone River’ by Ndolo ‘Rushing river’ by Kayal Swails Page 1 and 17 content from thoughtchangerblog.com Page 21 content from The Times of India Lastly, I would like to thank Imageink for their excellent service in printing.