As you face mountain-like endeavors,
may you also seek out gentle rivers that remind you
to pursue steady and purposeful
onward movement.
For there are mountains up ahead of you, but there will also be green pastures too. There will be valleys, and there will also be rivers that invite you to focus on how you can flow each day instead of needing to figure it all out at once. Give energy where you need to give energy and rest where you need to rest, for you will need renewed strength when it’s time to climb the mountains ahead and face new unknowns. And you will also need to have practiced engaging with slower rhythms so you know when it is time for rejuvenation.
And if you’re looking for those slower, gradual rhythms, you can start by looking at the rhythms hidden in the rhythms of the day itself: Notice how the morning sun finds way to illuminate the most shadowy corners. Notice the light that shimmers through the leaves on the tress, and notice how it gradually changes as the day goes on. Notice how sunrise and sunset continue to unfold in the sky above, again and again.
Notice how, even in a single instance, there is subtle yet meaningful movement, even in the simplest things…and however you can, you are free to welcome that same approach. And not because everything was suddenly figured out, but because you learned to be present within the landscape. You noticed the mountains, but you also noticed all the small things that would help you prepare to climb those mountains too.
So when you find yourself thinking about the mountains ahead, remember the small moments you can engage with right here, too. Let it remind you to rest, find new rhythms, and pace yourself as you prepare for the journey ahead.
Focus on what you can do each day and pace yourself through this landscape in whatever way you can, one day at a time. – Morgan Harper Nichols
