Image courtesy George Stojkovic www.freedigitalphotos.net

 You were put in a canoe and given a paddle.

That’s it.

     When you paddle, you go upstream. When you stop paddling, you go downstream.

    Sometimes the current is strong, sometimes it is almost non-existent. It’s always there.

You can’t control the current.

All you have is a paddle. Sometimes your stroke is strong and efficient.  Sometimes it’s weak and sloppy.

You can learn to paddle better.  You control how and when you paddle.

The river meanders. The river switches back.  The river goes on and on.

You can’t control the river.

You can try to paddle to areas of weak current. You can try to avoid the eddies. You can try to steer clear of the rocks.

If you are stronger than the river, you control where you paddle.

The weather is sometimes brilliant. The weather is sometimes miserable.

You can adapt to the weather. You can’t control it.

All you can do is decide how far upstream you want to go.

And paddle.