I open my eyes and am greeted by the same blurry ceiling. That moment of in-between - where who I was yesterday meets the possibility of a new me today. But before my feet even hit the floor, my thoughts catch sight; oh look, she's awake! as they race towards me, ready to hop onto the merry-go-round of my mind. I shuffle down the hall to the bathroom, my thoughts hang on tight, ready for a brand new day of spinning round and round, moving fast but going nowhere at all. I look into the same mirror and ask the same old questions; How? and Why? and When?
How will it all work out?
Why are things not exactly as I want them to be?
When will things be different?
That in-between moment of possibility has vanished. Who I was yesterday greets me in the mirror. Everything is the same.
My yesterday self moves through the same motions. Down the stairs, pour the coffee, pet the dog, peek out at the horses, head out to do the same old chores. I dip the same hose into the same trough, filled halfway with yesterday’s stale water. I turn on the same tap and watch the water come alive - gurgling and bubbling and swirling as it climbs it’s way to the top. The fresh water replaces the old, until finally, it spills out over the sides. This is where I turn off the tap. But today, for some reason, I don't.
I just stand there and watch. I am mesmerized in a way I've never been before as the water gushes over, pools on the ground and then begins to trickle down the hill. I lean over the trough to see what was once murky is now crystal clear. I can see my reflection; the same face looking into a new mirror, and as the merry-go-round begins to slow, suddenly, everything is different.
The sound of the waterfall calls Skye over. My golden horse, who’s youth and light embody the wisdom of no past, of new beginnings. She enjoys a cool drink of the fresh water, while I smile and enjoy the fresh perspective.
Life is always moving, energy is always flowing. Turn on the tap. Replenish. Let the new replace the old.
The water continues to meander down the hill. There is no clear path; it must move around the statues of rock and through the curtains of grass as it meets them. There is just one directive; Down. While the pull of gravity and the force of flow take care of the rest. No matter what it faces, water always finds its way.
I don’t need to know How or Why or When. I don’t need to fret over the same old questions. I don't need to be frustrated by the same old thoughts. My mind may hold them, but it doesn’t need to hold onto them; they can always be replaced.
Each present moment is a tap. Open it. Let the fresh energy flow. Let the stale energy go. Set one directive; Forward. Meet obstacles as they come and Trust, that just like water, you’ll always find your way.