I had every intention of jumping in the water, just not fully clothed. I fell in. Hard. Though I like to think it looked semi-graceful , I know that I basically just looked like a flailing seagull using it’s wings for the first time, hoping to make landing on a rock. Which also happened, now with two jammed toes both black and purple but thankfully not broken.
The funny thing is, I loved it. I am pretty sure I was laughing as I was falling in, tumbling through the rocky water. I came out of it, without falling completely in, but my bottom half soaked and my heart happy. My childlike joy beaming from deep within my bones as I laughed ardently at myself and the beautiful mess I’d made. It’s one of the things I deeply treasure about myself. I came up, mostly unscathed and feeling so incredibly full of life. And I had this feeling of what it means to “jump in with your clothes on.”
There are so many times in life, where I have “jumped in with my clothes on” sometime that’s meant getting banged up, bruised pretty badly and others were it’s been rewarding and deeply gratifying, often sometimes both and yet still always worth it to continue doing it. Part of that process is understanding the flow of life and not letting the things that often take you by surprise be anything less than an opportunity to laugh, grow, cry and come out of it with a fresh perspective. The greater the challenge the deeper the growth, the muddier the water the more rewarding to find clarity.
When we choose to be more in the flow of our lives it’s easier to see the opportunities that may feel more like disadvantages at first, for the magic they truly are. These are the growth opportunities, the spaces where we can expand, absorb, retain and continue moving in the direction of life all with groundedness in ourselves. The rootedness in steadfast self-assured feeling of being in congruence with the flow of our lives.
“Recognizing the power of our Mind and the power of our Soul, learning the art of Concentration and Love, we are learning to Live with the Flow, not against it.
It is in our nature to learn and grow. For happiness we need to learn to Love, we need to learn to Concentrate and we should keep the flow and energy of inspiration within our lives.”
― Nataša Nuit Pantović, Mindful Being
When we move in congruence with our life, we’re less likely to view things as not working for us, not being in favor or otherwise against you. Instead if we can embrace the flow, view things as being in our favor we are much more able to move with the ebb and flows, take the bruises in stride and yes, choose to jump in with your clothes on.
One of my most favorite things to remind myself is “everything is happening in your favor,” which I tell you is very different than “everything happens for a reason”. Things happening in your favor is specific, it’s connected, and often in times of deep hardship much harder to believe and swallow, but it is also the truth. The more we step into that space the deeper more connected we are able to be to the Universe as a whole. We begin to see how things are indeed working in favor of us, of our growth as individuals and as a collective of a greater internetwork of the world.
“The human condition is essentially the conflict between the human need for control and a universe that provides little if any of it. Once we accept this and get into the flow of life, we are free and, paradoxically, able to get better results.”
― Oli Anderson
The more we are able to release control and accept everything as a part of our life’s paths the easier it becomes to be in the flow of your life. The more joy you are able to experience, the more resilient you become, and the more adapted you are to understanding yourself, to nurturing your connection to your Spirit.
Allow yourself the gift of joy in being with the flow of your life. Jump in with your clothes on.
Here’s to jumping in with you,
