Sometimes in life you have absolutely no control over a situation. To think otherwise would be like trying to control a river set on overflowing its banks when the energy of the water becomes too much to be contained. In moments like those, I am tempted to build a barricade with my words to keep me from drowning in the depth of emotions that rush over me. Hurt, anger, and resignation are words that flood my brain as I try to make sense of behaviors I can’t control. Sometimes, all I can do is watch the river … and wait.
Gifts Of The Journey 
Beautiful picture and wise words, Elizabeth. Whatever it is that’s happening, sending you a long-distance hug and all good wishes that things work out as well as possible.
Cheers and take care.
Is the water above located near where you live? Beautiful picture.
In situations where I feel like have little or no control, sometimes its difficult to see how to manage through it. In my case sometimes it gets down to managing it “hour-to-hour” never mind day by day. I think it gets even harder when challenges on a personal level such as work, home, family or health are taking place in the context of huge public and pervasive devastation and suffering such as we see now in Haiti. There seems to be no relief, the sense of desperation is palpable, and the whole world seems to revererate with some kind of pain.
Some of my frustration at these times is with myself. I know there are coping strategies. I understand them intellectually, but my emotional self takes longer to grasp and really assimulate them so that they are a help to me and some kind of balance, even if its only enough to take the next step, is restored.
I have found the blogging community to be a help in establishing some of that balance. I think it will continue to be a help as time goes on.
You yourself Elizabeth, have been a help to me and I know to many others, as you describe your days, events and life, showing successes as well as moments that are harder to deal with. You and other bloggers share of themselves in real ways, which allow those who are facing diffculties as well as successes to be real and to be themselves.
Sure, we can all put on and even hide behind our ‘blog face’, taking on a persona to mask our real selves from the outside world. Some boundaries are needed and even appropriate of course, because we are all in such a public place. Even so, for me the sharing element in so many people’s blogs, yours included, feels very strong. That is a real gift.
I’m pleased to be able to say thank you to personally and to others who continue to provide me with inspiration, laughs, answers, ideas, questions, encouragement, the space to be in a new place and to try new things as I face the various challenges in my own life.
Your picture is indeed gorgeous. New computer for me in a few weeks I hope, so then I can share more pictures with others too; very hard on my current one. Your pictures bring your words to even greater life.
Warm wishes to you and hoping things ease up a bit for you soon.
beautiful and tormented at the same time! hope you weather the storm.
i love the way you put words and pictures together. This is a beautiful scene but I hope their is calm and peace real soon for you.
I’ve always loved water. Sometimes you have to see it’s violence in order to fully appreciate it’s quiet beauty and to understand it’s true capabilities. To me, there is nothing quite as soul-stirring as watching a hurricane move in on the Gulf or the way that I feel after a sudden summer storm. After all, isn’t one of the most beautiful things about a storm the restoration that you feel after it’s gone? I think that the same can be said for human nature and times of trial in our relationships with one another.
I know what my mother’s response to this post would be: “Now, Elizabeth- the good in me sees the good in you. Shouldn’t the good in you see the good in me?”. How I wish I had a penny for every time I complained about someone’s actions to her only to get that in response!
May tomorrow bring rainbows your way 🙂
I do understand.
“In moments like those, I am tempted to build a barricade with my words to keep me from drowning in the depth of emotions that rush over me. Hurt, anger, and resignation are words that flood my brain as I try to make sense of behaviors I can’t control.”
I tried to stop up, suppress my emotions, especially the scary ones, for years. It only made it worse. Now I let them flow through me, and like a river, they pass. It’s the damming that causes the harm.
Hope you’re feeling better soon.
Sending you prayers and hugs for whatever is going on..I am sure you will get through it with lots of support from John and your friends.
whatever it is….remember the one bright side is that the river is forever flowing forward, so that whatever it is at this moment, will pass by if you can just hang on or go with the flow, either way, it will get better.
I think when you finally realize you have no control over anything other than yourself, you become liberated. For a long while, I would worry about others words or actions and fret away but I’ve learned to find some kind of inner peace that lets me acknowledge it and then let it go. I head out into nature and let it bathe me in her beauty and I know all is as it is meant to be.
Take care of yourself, be gentle with yourself. You are an incredible person.