Be like the river. The river eternally flows, despite all that it endures in a 12-month cycle. Freezing temperatures, fallen trees and leaves, and all those that inhabit its precious waters, whether for lifeline or pleasure. The river is one that doesn’t allow the obstacles in front of it to dictate how it flows. Sure, it might throw it off track to the right, but the water always finds its way down.
Be like the river, Chad. You haven’t written in months, but that’s okay. Keep on flowing, keep on learning and most importantly, just jump in the fucking water.
Life continues to prove to be increasingly challenging. Give your loved ones a hug and if you can’t do that, keep on flowing any way you can until the river mouth opens and you are set free to the ensuing ocean. Lately, it’s this mantra of “be like the river” which has kept me going.
A mantra that born into this universe just some short few months ago, on an expedition to the Northern Country, master blastin’ i-93 North with a dear friend of mine. As we meandered our way up the trail of Georgiana Fall’s, we both were humbled by all that surrounded us. It’s a pretty simple hike, but the tree’s felt a little bigger, the water rushed a little bit harder and the view’s sitting atop those falls, well, all that much worth it after some trailblazin’. We smiled that day, knowing that it’s all right in front of us.
And it’s still right in front of me, just a little hidden from plain sight. Tangled in all the bullshit that stems from just, well, life.
And while I haven’t found much time to write anything that is truly cohesive and well-thought out, like this piece, I have found myself jotting notes throughout these past few challenging months. Here’s one of my favorites:
who am i to write when
maybe it’s the same thing as when i listen to justin wren depict his battle with his life and I feel this sense of deeper connection. like fuck man, i thought i was all alone in some of this shit.
but our ego’s, especially mine, has this ability to make us feel lesser or greater than whatever it may be, person, place, thing. when simply we are all connected and equal, despite our physical, mental ailments, we are one.
the impeachment trials and everything else on cable television and social media is driving us further apart. we are a nation divided, a nation that strives on the empowerment of an ego, to believe that we are larger, the top of the food chain. but we aren’t.
i am no different than the herd of 14 deer walking through my backyard, no more than 20 feet away.
i am no different than the boy in cameroon who has limited access to school supplies and works from the age of 13.
i can’t control that i was born into this life, but i can control how i choose to move throughout it. one that is aiming to be centered around empathy, connection, vulnerability. i may be a white straight male but first i am a fucking human being, so let’s start there.
we all come in the same way and go out the same way, so how you gon choose to lead this existence?
come on man, get beyond it.
Thanks for reading. Peace and love.
Chad Ripley 