A Plan For All Seasons - Summer

Summer has come! Arriving with a burst of flame and a flash of colour. Green grass beckons and the beach pulses with promise. The cool blue sea is lapping contentedly against the shore line as we bask in sunshine that seems to last forever, sending us into dreamy wonderment. Ah me!

It has taken me almost three years to write the next episode in this series. It all started in 2011 with an adventurous year breaking free of the bonds that had kept me tied to a damp, dark basement flat in Brighton. I had spent a year and a half lost, recovering from a broken heart. I had been desperately trying to apply the principles of the Universe onto my life, in a vain hope to create an experience full of joy and adventure, convinced (as I have been since I was little) that there must be something more. There must be something deeper and bigger that we are all missing...

After that summer I wrote about my adventures in A Plan for All Seasons -Spring. I hoped to complete the series by the end of the year but it never seemed the right time to comment. I wanted to reflect on the new insights I was having. I wanted to put together a series that grew with me. I wanted to open myself up to the flow of creativity that I had alluded to. Three years down the line - I realise that I have remained in that long spring of awakening for a lot longer than a season. My journey thus far, whilst extensive, has been an extended version of the same theme. Summer for me is only just dawning and that is just fine.

I have criss-crossed the world over the last few years, working and volunteering my way around India, Thailand, Vietnam, France, Spain, Greece and Poland. I travel with my partner, lover and fellow soul adventurer Paulina. Somehow, the way has always opened up for us... eventually. Just when we think we are going to run out of money or get stuck, an answer appears. Sometimes straight out of the blue.

The defining factor in our adventures has been an idea that I realised in the spring of 2011 - there is nothing that says I have to stay in any one place... I am free. With this in our hearts, we unplugged ourselves from the idea that we have to have a house and a steady job and security. We put our faith in answers appearing when we need them (which can be daunting), and ploughed forward into the world. We have found jobs all over the place - the occasional job on Gumtree, volunteering on WorkAway, and rigorous Internet searches. When we managed let go of our fear and stopped worrying, the next adventure appeared quickly and when we held tight to worry and stress, finding jobs was hard.

Of course, the last three years have not been without their challenges. As spring turned into eternal summer, there were the inevitable weeds to pull out of my garden. I discovered - at first to my horror - that even though I was beginning to harness the power of intention and attraction, there was much work to be done in dissolving limiting beliefs. BIG core beliefs such as 'I am not worthy', 'I am not good enough', 'I am ugly', and 'It is your fault!' all jostled for space in my head whilst I had to chase them and consider whether I really needed them in there. They are sneaky buggers too! Often hiding behind protective behaviors and beliefs.

When adventuring into consciousness and considering our unlimited potential as humans, we have to also consider the limiting illusions we have set up around us. We can often settle in comfort and mediocrity because we are scared of the unknown or are unaware of our own creative power in our lives. As my friend Jamie Catto illustrated in his workshop 'Transforming Shadows', we have a choice to embrace our dark side, become self-referring and dissolve the old emotions that seem to hold us in a reactionary state. We can choose to stop barking at the world around us and find out why we were barking in the first place! Woof! If you ever want to explore your dark side and begin to embrace your whole self, I thoroughly recommend his workshops.

So what has changed for me that may add a spot of light to the great human experience - or at least to mine...? To be brief - some letting go, some embracing, some ah ha moments and some new habits. I let go of some arguments, I embraced some of my dark sides (there are many), I realised that I am full of power and potential and the next moment is unwritten... And the biggest thing of all, I have begun looking into this present moment and searching for my joy instead of judging it. This is by no means easy - sometimes my angry pitbull surfaces, barking like mad, frothing at the mouth. So I try and breathe. I sooth myself. Every day is a practice. What is beautiful now? What can I thank myself for? How can I smile into my body a bit more? Who can I say something nice to and mean it?

My summer is gently unfolding and instead of trying to force the Universe to twist to my desperate needs I am relaxing into the present and working on my emotional health, moment to moment. Then, when I achieve that subtle moment of joy, somehow everything seems a bit brighter, and, as if by magic, an answer appears or a door opens. Sometimes, the door just leads to a room full of relief from the last moment and sometimes it leads to pastures new.

All I think I know is that each of us is totally full of unlimited potential and love. The more we relax and breathe and work on making each moment as good as we can, with the tools that we have, then the closer to joy we will get. The road seems long but our heart is right there, in the middle of our chests. Give it a rub and say hello!

I wish you all the best in whatever you do and whatever path you walk.

Matthew

Never Give Up...

I made a decision to sit and write on my birthday sometime last night. There was a familiar stirring within me, a call for expression, for illumination and for acknowledgement. I needed to mark this birthday somehow because for me it feels significant. Some birthdays come and go, gently breathed into and released again as we sail through the oceans of our lives, weathering the storms and calm waters of our unique moments. Some appear lost in sadness and time, sunk beneath the weight of events that constitute human experience. Some birthdays are planned in advance and embraced in an oncoming torrent of celebration and alcohol. To be frank, that was the kind I was expecting, having had so much experience with that craziness. I am surprised and refreshed by what today is offering me though.

Today feels though my ship has come home. It feels as though I have returned to port after a lifetime of ocean sailing, of storms and freak waves, squalls and ocean deserts. 36 years after the event - the launch of my magnificent yacht - I feel as if I have completed a journey of epic proportions. 4 cycles of 9 have been navigated. For me 9 is significant. My birth date adds up to 9 today and did when I was born. My age adds up to 9 today and 9 is my numerological life path number. In truth it only serves as a marker point really and yet, somehow feels like a home-coming.

Looking back on my journey so far, it could appear that I have suffered my fair share of set-backs, heart aches, mind-numbing griefs, unprocessed emotions, broken families, dysfunctional relationships, and relative levels of poverty but that is directly proportional to the amount of adventures I have had, the amount of love and support my family have given me, even when I couldn't or refused to see it, the pathways that have led me to the most conscious and beautiful relationship I have ever been in, the countries I have visited, the amazing network of friends I have, the beautiful people that I have met through my life and the sheer amount of wisdom, love and support I have received on a thousand levels, from a thousand sources.

You see, those storms have shaped my soul and are now providing great compost for my new ideas and dreams. I was Prospero in my own Tempest and I wouldn't change any of it for the world because it is all me. I have not one single regret in my life because I know that all of it was me and I wouldn't be here now, in this moment without it. Regardless of how I feel right now, I can only ever be in one place, in this moment and that is the only place I am ever going to be. There is not a heaven or bright place over the horizon, next week, next year, where everything is peachy. Everything can and at least for me, is peachy right now because I have chosen to embrace all that I am and everything that has ever happened to me.

So, on this morning in the wild olive groves and pine forests of my mountain hideaway, amid the bird song and mountain goats, I celebrate and embrace myself for the completion of another cycle. For all that I am, was and will be. I celebrate the contrast of life for without it we would not want to or be able to move forward.

More so... I write with passion, love, inspiration and hope in my heart that my words may touch and inspire someone to stand up and embrace all that they are as well. The good, the bad and the ugly for it is all relative and is all a part of who we are. I hope that we, as humans may claim all parts of ourselves as beautiful because we are magnificent, creative, gorgeous creatures, whatever form we come in.

As I embark upon a new cycle, I wish you all well and wish you the love and joy that hides in your heart.

An Ode to Our Dreams

A wise sage called Lao Tzu once said that 'A journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step.' Lao Tzu may or may not have been a mythical figure but his quote, which is sometimes attributed to Confucius, stands the test of time. In the 1500 years since these great sages lived, and endless time before and after, nothing can be faulted within this deep observation. In fact, taken more than literally, it is a marker point of thought to be ruminated and acted upon.

Often we may stand in the face of procrastination, unwilling to move backwards or forwards, caught adrift on a tide of inaction leading us into the doldrums of mediocrity. Yet, when faced with insurmountable odds, bad habits and fears, we can take in this ancient wisdom, sit with it and meditate for a few minutes, allowing its simplistic message to permeate through the thick elephant skin of our inaction.

In the weeks that have passed since I wrote about procrastination I have embarked upon a new form of creative endeavour. One that to me, reflects the very quote that has me inspired to write. Gone is the mind-numbing thought of the mountains I must climb... the unwritten book, the album's worth of songs, the masterpiece painting... the showstopping performance on Broadway! Gone is the confusion and fear of how I am ever going to achieve these goals and the opinions of others. In its place is a much more soothing rhythm that has me hungering for more, waking up eager to write, take photos, practice guitar and explore this amazing Universe we live in.


Source: Hubblesite.org

I have let go of the destination and the distance... the thousand miles ahead no longer matters. I know where I want to go but what is important now is taking the first step. So I have begun taking those single steps. Small ones, baby steps... steps that are possible, steps that do not stretch me too much but leave me wanting enough to get up the next day and have another go.

You see, true to the form of old wise sage dudes, the journey can be taken metaphysically within the mind, emotionally with the spirit or quite literally in the realm of the relative. But best is when we combine the power of the mind with the visceral reality of the body and the eager passions of the heart. This is true balance.

There are so many steps each of us can take toward our dreams. Such little things. Small positive steps in the direction we want to go. It seems quite simple when you pull it all apart. Open and trust your heart. It knows what you love and will show you the way. It points through good feelings in the direction of your dreams. Then, focus the mind in the direction you want to go, focus on the dream you want to express, achieve, create or be. Imagine it, play with it, pretend to be it. Finally, take a step... not a big scary impossible step... (that will draw you back to inaction) but a small, achievable step. You want to travel - buy a travel book. You want to sing professionally - take a singing lesson. Go even smaller... you want to speak Spanish - look on the internet for Spanish courses. You want a yoga fit body but are too scared to go to a full yoga class - do 5 minutes stretching at home. Take the step that you can take. The one that feels comfortable and easy to take. Let go of the doubt and make a small exploration of yourself. What could I do now that moves me one step toward my dreams? Then make sure you turn up and take it. And then the next... and the next... and the next...

Me, I want to express myself more fully as a musician and writer, perhaps explore acting again as I did when I was younger, travel more, have more fun, have more money. I finally got round to buying a book on song-writing by Pat Pattison that I had been procrastinating about buying for months! It was £9 on Amazon Kindle. Cheap to buy. What an easy step. Next step... read it! This is what got me started on those baby steps. The author said just write for a few minutes a day. So that is what I do. I sit in the morning and write for 15 minutes. Then I get up and walk away. I stop the timer. I stop mid-sentence. My writing is directed and focused and when I am done, half finished, I feel as if I have not said enough and I want more. So I come back the next day eager. No big moves. No impossible tasks. For the moment I am keeping those baby steps.

It is rather like training for a marathon. So many of us pin up our dreams to the board and expect to run 26 miles in an instant and when don't reach the finish line we give up. We shelve our dreams calling them hopeless. But they are not... they are the stuff of our hearts and our passions. We must hold onto them dearly for they give us life. They give us a reason to get out of bed. Be proud of your dreams and fight for them. Not with battles against others or yourself, trying to justify whether your worthy or not, but fight for them with a calm peacefulness within, taking baby steps, doing what you can. Fight your fears with a minute of meditation on your heart. Be silent and enjoy yourself. Take your baby steps... 5 minutes a day is better than no minutes a day and a damn sight more productive than trying to run the whole distance in one go.

I think every achievement is a combination of steps, a jigsaw puzzle, slowly fitted together, piece by piece. The joy is in the doing of the thing, moment to moment. That is why sportspeople keep on playing tournaments after they have won once. For it is not the destination but the journey that counts. The steps you take are far more important than the end result.

One last thing... it seems that when we get lost in the passion rather the worry, when we embrace the steps rather than result (or lack thereof), when we open our hearts to the moment rather than the unmanifest future... that is when the magic really begins. Perhaps this is summed up best in a quote that I have often written at the front of numerous notebooks. It is from The Scottish Himalaya Expedition by a mountaineer called W.H.Murray.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

Procrast The Nation

A sheepish feeling runs through my body as I begin to type these words. I feel as if I have long been away, avoiding something that once started, quickly takes me over like a fever. I wonder why I spent so long away from this writing expression. I wonder who I let down after my protracted absence. Startled, I realise that the only person whose time I wasted was my own. The only person feeling sheepish happens to be the one who is writing.

The online Oxford Dictionary defines procrastination as 'the action of delaying or postponing something' and I have felt that feeling on and off for most of my life in various regards. Yet I wonder, who has not had this feeling from time to time and where does it come from? Procrastination seems to be a collective and individual response to a certain set of parameters that differ from our current state of being. Sometimes a knee-jerk reaction, sometimes a habitual predilection, born of some hidden motive. Most often, procrastination is associated with laziness and an unwillingness to begin or complete a task. We find all manner of useless things to get on with before embarking, if ever, on the actual job at hand. Cleaning, watching TV, tidying up files, ruminating, staring into space, drinking beer, fiddling with belly buttons. I think I have tried them all and declared myself an expert in most forms of distraction.

Yet, in my travels, I believe it to run deeper than simple laziness. The call to action challenges us to step out of our comfort zone. It beckons us to move into a different frequency of energy. It requires us to make a subtle and sometimes major shift not only in our physicality but in our mental state as well. Often our emotions get involved, heart pumping fast, seeking a way out, some kind of fear or lack of motivation taking hold.

For myself, I have long sought creative expression. I have written poems, songs and essays and for long periods of time I have avoided writing poems, songs and essays. Even this blog, meant to be a documentary and showcase of my travels in inner and outer space has often been put on hold. Not through any lack of wanting I might add. I have been frustrated, depressed and anguished, blocking my art and flow. Finding rhyme and reason for all my excuses. I have embarked on courses to release my creative voice... To banish my artists block! In looking at the blocks, I am sure I created the blocks. In creating blocks, albeit unconsciously, I came up with the techniques to fill my time whilst I avoided my work. Up until only just a few days ago, did I fail to realise that the best way to break the pattern of procrastination is to take a deep breath and jump right in. You see, I was procrastinating about everything; making friends, making plans, practicing yoga, writing songs, booking gigs, playing gigs, practicing guitar, finding jobs and ultimately... feeling good. How do we even procrastinate our way out of feeling good!?

It is not all bad though. Through all this non-action there have of course been moments of pure clarity and purpose. There have been moments of daylight. Moments of pure creation. Moments of frenetic activity. The procrastination has helped me to grow. It has fanned the flames of my inner yearning to do more and be more. In fact, this blog is a reflection of the journey out of procrastination more than the journey into it. It is a call to hope. A herald of free movement, excitement and joy beyond the desert of distraction that so many of us find ourselves in. It is indeed, a proffered hand, offering compassion and understanding, declaring that we are not in fact lazy when we procrastinate but perhaps, more accurately, not quite prepared for the coming change in our energy.

Procrastination offers a way out of action. It is a coping mechanism that activates when we are not up to speed with the vibration and energy that is required of us to make that leap from the old to the new. Often we are stuck in the energy of another task. Often we are stuck in the energy of inertia... a paradox you might say. Yet inertia is addictive. The brain creates short cuts for ease of use. Maybe we fear, for some reason or another doing that thing we so want to do or that task we have set for ourselves. Perhaps that fear came from an early age. We might think we are not good enough. Perhaps we got stuck in a pattern of thinking that is opposite to the task. In this then, procrastination is an avoidance of feeling good. At least, it is an avoidance of feeling really good. We feel relief when we procrastinate. Relief at not having to face judgement, criticism or effort expended. But what is this feeling compared to a job well done, a song well sung, or a painting well hung? What are we missing out on? What satisfaction and joy are we sacrificing for a temporary moment of relief in which to goggle at the latest apps available on android before coming up once again to that same moment of terror and indecision... act or procrastinate, act or procrastinate!

I have explored myself quite fully up to this moment in time. I have no doubt that there is an infinite cosmos more of myself which I can explore. Much like looking into space and identifying most of the stars, declaring that you have now explored all that you can see only to realise that if you travel to the furthest star in your known universe, you will observe a whole new set of wonders that you couldn't see from your stump. Well, that's me. On my stump, looking up. In my looking I have begun to see that what I thought I knew is only the beginning of me. 

I have reached the edge of all I can take with procrastination. I have discovered that the best way to handle it is to love yourself and softly whisper in your own ear... 'This is going to be okay. I can do it. I am going to be fine'. Then you take a deep breath, imagine yourself doing whatever it is you were about to avoid, and with a massive smile on your face, leap right in and begin. In the ensuing moments, when the feeling of fear or procrastination is strong, you imagine the completion of the task and the joy you will feel when it is done.

I feel more positive and active now than I ever have done and it is growing day by day. Moving through procrastination gives you power to embark on new ventures. It gives you confidence because really, I think we are moving through fear into a place of action. But more so, I believe we are moving from a place of not being energetically ready into a place of preparing ourselves to accept life. I think, as we face our inertia, and first imagine our way through it, loving ourselves through it, we become more present. We can enter our bodies more fully and come more into harmony with our heart and our true self. 

For me this is the key. Becoming present and taking time to feel good. Beginning a dialogue with my heart, listening to my positive emotions and following the direction that they point to. Focusing on the aspects of my life that feel good right now. Entering the moment and enlivening myself with good vibrations and only then moving into inspired action. I do not force myself to act but I do leap. Once I have worked myself up into a frenzy, the only thing left to do is leap, and there I go! I love myself. I talk with myself. I provide myself with enough love and encouragement needed for the frenzy and ensuing vault into the void. Now when I hit the chilly waters of my mountain pool of action, I find them invigorating instead of unbearable. Bit by bit I have trained myself in baby steps. Sometimes it takes moments. Other times, when the feeling of procrastination is strong, it takes a day or two. But move through I will for I want to be present and I want to embrace life.

There is a greater dream self in all of us, that eager, excited part of us that yearns for greater expression. It yearns to have fun, explore the world, laugh fully and vibrate with joy. If we can begin that small step of breaking through the most mundane of distractive habits, what fantastic adventures could we then take ourselves upon?! What dreams may come...

One of You, One of Us

Sending out love to the courageous, the unique and the sad,
The angry and the weak, the happy and the bad.
Love to the weird, the wonderful, and 'wrong...'
Love to the 'right' although it's just a different song.
There's love for the sorrowful, the sacred and the scared.
Love for the lonely and the ones that live in fear.
Here is to the big, the tall, the shy and very small.
Here is to everyone, there is love for you all.
Here is to your ride, your path, your consciousness and soul
Here is to your everything, inside you shimmer gold.
There is love for our unity, the oneness in our hearts.
The barriers are coming down so here is to the start.
The dawn of you inside yourself, comfortable and free.
Unlimited and full of love, the bit that you call 'me'.
Here is to your confidence and burgeoning success
To be exactly who you are and love 'the way you dress'.
Sending love to the drum you beat and the rhythms that you sing
It's perfect for this song of life,
We love just what you bring.

Matt Rivers, 28th June 2012

What the Blog?

Why this blog? Why that blog? Why blog at all? Why are they doing it? Why am I doing it? What are we achieving? Why are we not doing something useful like saving the world? Why are we not... arrrrrrgh!

All these questions began crashing through my head last night after reading a Facebook status from a friend who was elegantly eulogising about the questionable purpose of blogs. His ruminations thrust me into a circle of doubt and indignation. What he was saying did not come across as positive. I wanted to shout and scream and justify myself and my blog. I didn't however. Even though the ideas posed by him were not directed towards me, they did strike a chord, if a somewhat dissonant one. So I slept on it hoping an answer would come.

The morning really does bring a new light to situations. I believe we are all magnificent and creative souls that have no need to prove or justify our creative and artistic actions. To do so makes less of us as humans and feels bad - it happens a lot. It did get me thinking though.

I am not in the least bit ashamed to admit that I am a recovering artist. Once in the not too distant past, I was rigidly blocked by my own fears and insecurities, plagued by the voices of my childhood. They told me things like 'you are not worthy', 'there is no career in the arts', and 'could do better'. My creative expression came out in fits and bursts. One song a year perhaps. One line of verse. Unfinished poems littering my notebooks. Standing, frozen in front of a crowd, playing music but not feeling it or even hearing it for fear of getting it wrong... 'could do better...' The disembodied voice echoed in my brain.

I realise now and thank my friend that his comments about blogs have actually formed a further stage of my artistic recovery. Those doubts and fears reared up again and I was able to move through them into a place of understanding rather than be caught like a rabbit in the headlights of my own, self-limiting vehicle.

You see, creating stuff - art, stories, blogs, dances, music - is such a delicious human activity. Writing, in particular, is something no other animal on the planet does. We are unique in that medium. We are driven to expression and I believe it is our nature. We live and breath as all life does but we also have an innate need to express ourselves and share it. Being human is not a singular pursuit. It is a community thing and in order to function we have to share food, water, air, space, ideas, experiences and art. We are having a relationship with life itself and everything we see is life. It is our right and heritage, as individuals, to step into our creative selves and exercise the freedom to express our perceptions and experiences, free of the demons of ego, limitation, well-meaning opinion, sensibility and moral ethics.

Our ego is so bent on analysing and justifying ourselves and others actions and motivations, we often miss the simple pleasure of enjoying stuff. As I have opened up as an artist, I have found myself wrestling with my ego all the time. I come up with a million excuses and distractions to actually sitting down and creating something. 'See...', it says, 'here is proof that if you create you shall be humiliated', as I read yet another damning review on an artwork. There is a culture of ridicule, criticism and questioning concerning all acts of creativity that gets in the way of simple expression. We are afraid that our meagre offerings will not be high art; that we lack a certain something; that the dreaded 'x-factor' is not present.

I have learned to draw back and let go of that voice but others may not be in such a position yet. To react is to feed the fires of apathy and procrastination. I change my focus, stop listening to the naysayers in my head and in the outer world. In truth, the voices in the outer world are really just echoing the ones in our heads. The ego is desperate to find reasons for things. It is that logical left-brained pursuit of validation and putting things in boxes. If it doesn't fit, then it must be wrong! How many negative patterns have we created in our minds that hinder us from creating real and honest art at any level? Time to let go.

All humans are creative, artistic beings capable of expression on any level, whether it is a masterpiece, a best selling album, a graffiti tag or a twitter tweet. I know because I have been there when a person, adamant they are not creative has tapped into an area of themselves they were not aware of. It is amazing to watch... and it is all valid. We all have the right to be free in our ability to express. We all have the right to create, free from ridicule and ego-based rationale. What does it matter if we do not like something? In a buffet of delicious food, if you don't like olives, you don't carry on eating them. You find a food that you do like. It is the same with the rest of life.

There are myriad reasons for posting blogs, writing songs, dancing down the street, composing poems, lyrics and books. Every fellow human lives in a different world of perceptions, hopes, fears and beliefs. We cannot be sure of everyone's motivations or reasons for creating. Perhaps it is irrelevant. So, let us celebrate and encourage the one common reason for creation that we can be sure of... the need to express our own unique viewpoint. It may not save the world, but maybe freedom of expression is just what the world and humanity needs at the moment.

Our hearts and souls have no need for explanations. They just are. We can drop into our hearts and simply be and enjoy what we see. If we do not like it, we can look for something else we do like. We have that choice. It is that simple. I fulfill my soul yearnings by writing and singing and it makes me happy. When I have not followed my creative urge, I got sad. For me it is that simple. We do what we do because it makes us happy, and in following our bliss, we are able to inspire others to happiness too. So here is to creation. Here is to our creation and our expression of our own unique worlds. I look forward to seeing yours.

Matthew  xxx

Creative Flow

We wait for inspiration yet inspiration also means to breath in. Breathing is a present moment action so nothing will come if we wait. Waiting says that right now, in the present, there is nothing. The energy of 'waiting' is that something is not here yet! But just like breathing, we must be present with our own creativity. Let go of thinking for that is the block. Thinking and waiting block us. We 'think' creativity is something else - some grand gesture, some intense flash of genius that instantly produces great art but actually it is a series of small steps, just like a jigsaw. We do not compete a thousand piece picture in one placement of a tile. We slowly uncover it by being present and trusting our heart and the flow. Creativity is trusting that flow, being impulsive in the moment and making one small step. A line on a page, a word, a gesture, one note. Bit by bit, we flow toward the next step, trusting our heart. We breath in the moment. We flow with our hands, our bodies, our feet. Genius lies in the power of focus and we all have the ability to focus. So, what do we focus upon... the idea that is not there? Or the present moment and what is flowing out of us? We let go of mind. We let go of thought. We embrace creativity in the moment. Flowing like a river. Freeing our minds. We let go and drop into our ever-present hearts. Love.