When Life Moves Too Fast

Finding Peace in the Flow of the River

I apologize for a month of reposting old meditations.

I wish I could tell you that I took the time to refresh and find space to breathe. That was hardly the case. The last six weeks have been a whirlwind. I started a new job with the most insanely difficult material to learn and just spent the past week in California. In two weeks, I’ll be heading back for another two weeks of training. Scattered throughout all of that, we had a wedding reception for our oldest daughter and her husband. I went to a work meeting in Chicago for a few days. I celebrated my 51st birthday during that meeting and was fortunate to at least make it home that evening. I traveled to Colorado to celebrate my friend’s 50th birthday. And then, I had the honor of officiating a wedding of a delightful young couple.

Don’t get me wrong.

All of it has been spectacular.

I’m not complaining at all.

It’s just been a lot—all at once.

But sometimes the stars line up that way.

And maybe you’ve felt that too—the feeling of being swept from one thing to the next without a moment to breathe.

During that time, it would have been a disservice to force out weekly meditations for those of you who read these posts each week. Rohr often talks about how we should not “push the river,” meaning there is a flow of the Spirit that we should not fight against. Instead, we’re invited to become aware of where the Spirit is working and moving—and to flow with it.

So maybe this meditation is about understanding our limits, being present in our busyness, and not expecting more of ourselves than simply resting easy within it.

And maybe all these years of practicing the art of “being present” have been preparing me (us) for these crazy, busy moments, right? Or, preparing us to be peacefully present during the chaotic times in which we are living.

It’s like a two-minute drill for a football team. If you’re not a sports fan, hang with me. A football team practices the plays they’ll use in the final two minutes of a close game so they can be in position to score and win. In the same way, the work we put into being in the flow of the river during the calmer seasons actually helps keep us present and peaceful during the chaotic ones. This posture helps us stay grounded when life starts moving at a pace we can hardly keep up with, or when life seems upside-down.

Sure, peace can certainly be found in the absence of motion, busyness, and chaos. Yet the truest measure of peace isn’t known until it is embodied in the turbulence. When everything feels like too much, perhaps that’s the moment to remember that the river still flows—steady, beneath it all. And we would be wise to remember that we don’t have to control the current or fight against it. We simply have to trust the flow—to rest in it, be present in it—and let it carry us where we need to go.

Question

What practices, postures, or reminders help you stay rooted in peace when life begins to move faster than you can manage?

Peace,

Brandon

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