A great blog post on Barriers by Jeb Dickerson made me reflect on the wonderful journey that life is if we embrace its possibilities. If we don’t become ‘fenced in’ or start “treading water up-stream while foregoing the offerings of the open ocean” as he so beautifully expressed it.
It reminded me of a poem I wrote some time ago with a similar theme, so I thought I’d unearth that poem and share it here.
Life can be
sometimes
a river of motion,
a remorseless current.
We’re swept past changing scenery,
through rapids that terrify
and leave us gasping,
amazed we’re still whole,
undrowned, undefeated,
surviving to move onwards.
Temptation
is a quiet backwater
where we cling to safety,
to familiarity,
and retreat from the flow
of living.
A brief respite
can be healing.
But wait too long
in the shallows,
and life will pass us by
leaving us
unchanged,
unmoved by its glory,
too frightened to plunge
into its depths
once more.
And I’ll echo Jeb’s invitation … “I’m ready to swim. You coming?”
Hey Sue,
Wow, I’m so sorry. I just happened upon this post from April. I’m not sure why I wasn’t notified via trackback.
What a beautiful poem, one whose lesson I need to learn again and again. Thanks for sharing, and for extending my own reach.
Cheers!
Hi Jeb. Thank you in turn for your comment – I’m delighted you felt it added to your own so beautifully expressed sentiments on the same issue.
And no need to apologise for the delay in spotting my post. I’m not sure how ‘trackback’ works – but it’s highly possible I didn’t do something I should have done in linking to your blog in order to activate it. :)