Go with the Flow, Learn to Sail Through Challenges

During my last visit to Windsor Castle, it was not only the beauty of the castle that struck me, but also how the landscape across the lake was serenely peaceful as well. Having made the rounds through the large rooms and viewed the old stone walls, I stepped outside into the fresh air near the water. There, I was able to watch quite a few swans move calmly across the lake and float along in such an easy and graceful manner. I couldn't help but watch them because I felt my body just calm down at their movements.

Upon closer observation, each swan looked so relaxed, even when the wind made little waves in the water. The swans never struggled against the water, nor did they become disconcerted with this constant changing surface. They adapted and continued their journey, their movements passive, as the flow took them where it needed to take them. Without any seeming effort on their part, they knew how to be in control yet also yielding to the natural flow of the lake, moving with strength and peacefulness, beckoning me to pause and reflect.

It struck me that these swans had something to teach. And they didn't try to push against the water, to force through, but rather just moved along with the water and showed a gentle strength in going with the flow. That reminded me of how in life I sometimes try too hard to make everything go my way. Which means, everything goes according to my plan. But looking at the swans, I feel that probably it would be easier to live if I also could learn to change with the changes and not always fight with them, but just let go.

This ordinary episode near the lake taught me a great lesson. Life won't ever stop sending challenges until the winds and waves begin to fuss with the water. But perhaps, instead of always fighting these changes, it is about time that we learned to move with the tide and keep on going. The swans moved effortlessly in still and turbulent waters, reminding me to be patient and unruffled, no matter what happened along life's way.

When I left Windsor this day, I felt a new sense of peace. I learned that life needn't be a struggle when one can learn to go with the flow, secure in the knowledge of one's inner strengths to cope with whatever gets thrown one's way. In their swans, I saw how power and calmness, beauty and letting go, go together a lesson to last long after my tour to Windsor Castle.