The Flow

I’m back in Canada now, up at Apex Resort sitting out on the patio of a beautiful condo overlooking the mountains. I had my eyes closed, arms rested comfortably at my sides, and feet up on the railing. I was feeling the warm sun on my skin and just listening -- listening to the sounds of the creek rushing its way down towards Penticton, the wind dancing through the tall evergreens, and the birds and squirrels talking their busy talks. I think I might like to come here for my taper next year. It’s the perfect place away from all bustle of race week. Of course, all that race week bustle is part of the fun of Ironman. But, I like the feel here. It could be Colorado and I’m feeling a tug to get back there.

My thoughts were meandering along and caught on comment a friend had made recently. The comment was something along the lines of, "okay, I stepped out [on a walkabout] and nothing is happening yet."

That’s not the way it works. It takes a big leap of faith to step out into the unknown and even more to stay out there. It’s like when I was sitting outside just listening. You can hear more than just the creeks and wind and trees and animals. If you really let yourself go and listen -- with more than open ears -- you can hear the flow.

Everything in life, in nature, has a natural progression or ‘flow’ to it. Try to curb or control that flow and, well, we see the results of what mankind has been doing to this planet on a daily basis. Trees bend when the wind dances on their branches. When they don’t they break. Simple. It’s the same with us. When we bend we are a part of the world around us -- flowing freely with it and truly living in it.

Nope, it doesn’t work that way, just expecting something to happen. Expectation is like resistance. It’s like being fixated on a set time goal heading into an Ironman. The best races are generally those you walk into with no set goals other than doing your best in each moment. The first leap of faith is stepping out into the unknown. From there its faith that keeps you in the flow. When you relax and just be, things begin to fall into place. When you make decisions that are true to your heart, things begin to fall into place. When you are open enough to see all that the Universe presents before you, things fall into place. They happen because you are in the natural flow of life and all that surrounds you, not because they are "supposed" to.

I left Los Angeles eight months ago with no idea where I’d be or what I’d be doing beyond the first three months. I can honestly say that the last eight months have been about the best of my life. Things just kept falling into place -- and they continue to fall into place. I now know exactly where I’m going to be for the next 14 months. I didn't know that last week. Beyond next October I have no idea and no worries about it either. I’ll end where I end up, and that will be just the place I should be. I do have a feeling about where that may be though, but that story is still being written. ;-)

When you just are, things happen. They happen at their own pace, just as everything in the natural flow of life does. In the end, things always work out for the best, as they should. I do have an ultimate goal and this journey is bringing me closer and closer to it -- in its own time.

Expect nothing and enjoy everything. That's when you are in the flow... and that's when thing happen. When you just "be".

August 18, 2003

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